My mother describes my kids as “spirited” ….. yep….. and I would agree. They have a brilliant sense of adventure, are great fun to be with and have this year round boundless energy that is utterly infectious. Summer is great for them as the warmer weather and lighter evenings give us more opportunities to get outside and play. They get messy, they explore, they run around squawking like a dinosaurs, they play football with the dog, they laugh and generally have a blast. It is so much fun until the inevitable happens. Sometimes they fall down, sometimes they graze their knee and sometimes that laughter turns into tears.
More often than not, they will bounce back quickly and with a little reassurance will be running around again in no time. Other times those tears, that quivering bottom lip and screwed up face will tell you that a little bit more comforting is required.
#TearsintoSmiles
When it comes to turning those tears into smiles again I have a couple of tricks up my sleeves. First line of attack is the world’s largest hug. I am not going to lie …. this feels good for me too as I never like to see my little folks in tears. Secondly, we tend to any cuts and grazes. Now, I would never describe myself as super organised mum, however in my handbag I always carry my little emergency pink wallet. This keeps all those random things that you might need when out and about with the kids : Calpol sachet, hand sanitiser, tissues, hair bobble and Elastoplasts. This last one is a key point. It is amazing to see how having a plaster with one of their favourite characters can help distract the little munchkins from their injury. My son is a massive Star Wars fan and my daughter loves a bit of Frozen and so Elastoplast’s Disney design plasters are a big hit.
Once the plaster is in place my third line of attack comes into play….. Snapchat. I distract the kids by getting them to pose on a Snapchat picture or video. It works a treat every time. Those smiles come back and by the time we are done they are ready to get back out and play again. Recently I discoverd that my kids have picked up on my tactics too. Earlier this week I hurt my finger which required a little bit of treatment at a local hopsital. When I picked the kids up from school later that day they asked why the hospital had not used a special plaster on my finger. While my son gave me a huge hug, my youngest was rummaging in my handbag for the little pink wallet. After they had a brief squabble about which Elastoplast “I ” wanted, my hospital standard dressing was swiftly customised with some special plasters! They made me smile too. #TearsintoSmiles
This post is an entry for the BritMums #TearsintoSmiles Challenge,sponsored by Elastoplast http;//campaigns.elastoplast.net/plastremoments/uk
