Traumatic tick removal - I feel so guilty! - Page 2

[jadekat]

Originally Posted by moonlight mom

I never met anyone that thought a tick was cute!!

I meant it was cute that DH and DD were "studying" it. No I don't think ticks are cute!

[jempd]

You're not an incompetent mother; you had to get the tick off and that was that. You would have been if you'd left the tick there. Sometimes this stuff can be so hard! I remember when ds's cousin--aged 4--had a really bad splinter and really, if you had walked by the house at that time you would have thought he was being tortured. And it took over 3 hours to get the splinter out. Ds needed to take an awful-tasting medicine (he had pneumonia) when he was 4 and it was truly a nightmare getting it into him. Literally we had to pin him to the floor. And I had help! The fact that you managed it without help I think is impressive. It is rather traumatic, but it isn't lasting trauma, trust me, for a kid who is well loved and cared for. You shouldn't beat yourself up for screaming--I'm sure you were very anxious about the tick what with the Lyme disease and it is very frustrating. I personally don't think it does kids harm to see their parents experience intense emotions and react to them, even if it is at the kid, though I suppose it depends very much on the kid. Remember, you can always apologize. Kids can sense a sincere apology, I've found.

[Mandynee22]

I'm sorry, Mama!
I think most of us have times like that at some point :-(
Last year my DD got a tick and it was buried kind of deep- I called my mother who suggested vaseline (which I learned later was an old wives tale anyway and doesn't suffocate them since there's plenty of oxygen in the blood) and then I tried tweezers. The tick broke. I ended up bringing her into the Drs and she got it out with no fuss and an exacto knife looking thing... but... DD LOVES going to the Drs!