Dr Jellybeans
I remember thinking once that Dr Ros had been plying her trade for so long that she knows exactly how to handle herself when having to do one of the worst things Doctors have to do. Give a child an injection. I never envy her when she’s faced with that prospect but with battle worn practice she’s really quite adept at it.
Her secret is smart practice. First of all she talks with the child about everything except what’s about to befall them but just before she does the deed she tells them what she needs to do and if it’s okay with them she thinks that maybe a way to take their mind of things would be to eat jelly-beans (or jelly babies depending on the week). I don’t know of any child (or adult for that matter) who has never agreed with her!
So, in the lead up to doing that deed she puts the jar of jelly-beans right in front of them, it’s the colours I think that appear to mesmerise them into a cheerful confidence that perhaps they never really feel. Whatever the case, it has a soothing effect. She removes the lid and asks them to put their hand into the jar and get three jelly-beans. Immediately I think children think this is going to be a cinch!
She gives them instructions to put one jelly-bean into the right side of their mouth and the second into the left. Children for their part can be so law-abiding and always do what they’re told when Dr Ros issues these orders. She interrupts their desire to begin munching with another instruction and this is the deal-breaker.
“IF, when I give you this injection you feel like you might want to cry” she says, just remember you’ve got those two jelly-beans in your mouth and you don’t want them to fall out now do you?” Smooth talker. And seriously the child becomes very focussed. Her next piece of advice to the child is priceless. “IF you really think you might cry I want you to take that third jelly-bean and pop it into the middle of your mouth, ok?”
No matter how unsure of how they’ll keep up their end of the deal, the child (more often than not) nods their head. The last words they hear Dr Ros say before she gives them that jab is, “it only hurts for a moment”.
Then with great calm and practice she administers the needle and sometimes (for the duration of a good 15 seconds) you almost think some disapproving lungs are definitely going to bring down the house. BUT the three jelly-bean principle stays intact! Open crying mouth, lose the jelly-beans, no childhood enduring fate could be worse!
