Medicine

People fall into two categories when it comes to medicine. They either HATE it, or they don't. They may not LOVE it, but they at least dont' mind it.

I fall into the first category. I get the heeby jeebies taking any sort of liquid medicine and feel compelled to get a quick SOMETHING to drink (water, milk, juice, WHATEVER'S HANDY!) afterwards. Emily falls into the first category as well. Starting at a very early age, it turned into a two person job giving her medicine. One person to pin her down and pry her mouth open and the other to actually serve up the dose of medicine. The ensuing yelling and screaming (mostly her, but partly us) and kicking and thrashing (her) was EXHAUSTING, stressful, and frustrating. We tried mixing the medicine into juice, or milk, which didn't work. We finally resorted to bribery at one point, which didn't work all that well either. I even mixed the dose of medicine into partially melted ice cream one time, of which she took one bite, caught onto my plan, and didn't look at ice cream again the same for a long time. I believe she was THREE YEARS OLD before she was finally "willing" to take the medicine and even then, it was only if we used the words "big girls drink their medicine without arguing with their mommies and daddies" and she was all about being a big girl. These days, she takes her medicine rather well. There's generally some whimpering involved, an occasional threat ("you take it yourself, or I'll do it for you!") and there's ALWAYS a glass of water nearby to wash it down with.

Then along comes Jared. He LOVES medicine. Starting a very early age he would cry when the dose of medicine would be all swallowed up and gone because he wanted MORE! Didn't take him long to figure out which cupboard I keep our medicine in and he would stand in the kitchen and point at it and cry. Who in their right mind WANTS medicine? JARED, apparently... For any injury or illness, real or imagined, he informs me he needs some medicine. You'd think it was Christmas morning the way he jumps around in excitement over being told he needs to take some medicine. (Or GETS to take medicine, if you look at it the same way HE does!).

Connor and Dan don't mind medicine. Connor will take it rather eagerly, but doesn't mind if I walk off without giving him more. He seems very uninterested in where it's stored. And I wouldn't say Dan LIKES the taste of medicine per say, but he certainly doesn't get the heeby jeebies like I do! And he doesn't bother with something to drink afterwards.

I'd be interested in knowing exactly which section of tastebuds are responsible for NOT liking medicine. And then I'd be interested in removing them! HA!