Besides having to always rate our pain on a scale of 1-10 or being reminded to drink clear fluids, there's some things all children of nurses have in common...
1. You're tough as all get out
She made sure that when you saw blood or vomit, you wouldn't freak out. That scraped knee you got when you fell off your bike? You wiped that blood off with your shirt and kept on riding. You knew she wouldn't take you to the ER unless you were on your death bed.
2. Your friends would ask you to ask your mom for medical advice
Once your roommate or best friends found out that your mom is a nurse, she was everyone's number one resource on information. She helped your friends determine if that pain in their stomach was just gas or something serious.
3. You knew how to treat simple illnesses and diseases
She taught you at a young age the difference between a bacterial or viral infection and how to treat them. You know that antibiotics won't help treat the common cold.
4. One of your favorite toys as a kid was a hand-me-down stethoscope
Playing hospital as a kid for you was a lot more real in your home since you got to use your mom's old stethoscope on your friends and stuffed animals.
5. You've seen her in action
You remember a time in your life when you were out at the mall or a restaurant with her and a stranger needed medical attention. She was the first one to respond and knew all the right questions to ask all while keeping calm. Everyone else was frantic. That's when you knew she was pretty much a superhero.
6. There was more surgical tape than Scotch tape in your home
There was always a pile of things she accidentally left in her scrubs pockets from work lying on top of the washing machine. Your medicine cabinet was packed with 3M surgical tape, gauze, syringes, bandages and bandage scissors - all of which was brought back from the hospital.
7. You couldn't fake being sick
There was no way you were going to be able to skip school so you could miss taking the history test you didn't study for. She knows all the signs and symptoms of every illness. There was nothing getting past her.
8. There was always one major holiday she had to be working every year
If it wasn't Thanksgiving, then it was Christmas.
9. Your fundraiser for school was sold at the nurse's station
Had to sell a box of chocolates or get pledges for a fundraiser run? You just asked your mom and she made sure that box was empty or you met your quota by the time she got home from work.
10. Graphic stories about her patient's bowel movements were a normal topic to talk about at the dinner table
You reached a point in your life where you stopped getting grossed out by your mom's work stories. Once you hear a story about what a patient vomited or pooped out while you were eating, nothing really phased you after that. Your stomach got real strong.
11. You know how fake medical dramas are
Even though you were raised on watching ER and Grey's Anatomy, she always told you how none of that actually happens in a hospital. And by that I mean the actual medical stuff. Forget the drama.
12. She always had any medication you needed
Her purse was an actual medicine cabinet. Even though that Excedrin she just gave you for your headache is three years over it's expiration date, she assured you it's just fine.
Even though this lifestyle seems a little extreme for some families, you wouldn't have wanted to have anyone else for a mom.
