Was my mom justified in doing that?

Question

its a very funny incident. i was very scared of needles n injections that doctors use.

when i was just 8 yr old, my mom took me to doctor for injection. i was not aware of that, but when i came to knew that i started shouting very loudly

it was impossible for doctor to give me injection, so my mom had to clamp her hand on my mouth to smother my screams. she kept her hand tightly pressed on my mouth until doctor was finished with his job

if she wouldnt had covered my mouth, i would have created a scene out there coz i was screaming really hard

this incident really makes me laugh till now

. now just tell me, is it possible for 8 yr old to make a noise in that situation?

my screams were totally suffocated.

do u think that my mom did the right thing at that moment? n why?

Answer 1

When my son was about that same age, he got slammed in the chin with a street hockey puck and we went for stitches.  I ended up with his arms down at his sides, literally holding him down under me in a full body hug across the gurney while they put those 6 stitches in; the stitches had to go in and he was not going to hold still for it!

As parents, we sometimes have to physically force our children to undergo a procedure that the child would prefer not to, for their own good.

So, was your mom right to cover your mouth?  No.  Your screaming wasn't going to hurt you or anyone else, all they needed was a spot to hold still for the needle to complete the injection and she could have provided that by holding your arm or leg -- she covered your mouth and muffled your noise to save herself some embarrassment.

But, was she wrong?  Depends.  Were there bruises, blood, lack of oxygen?  If not, then she didn't really do anything wrong, either.

Answer 2

Do you have kids?  If yes they will probably need injections.  Keep your fears for yourself.

I reckon your mum was embarrassed about your behaviour.  It is up to you now as you're an adult.

Answer 3

LOL id probably do it with mine too lol .... kids need to learn sometimes screaming doesnt get them anywhere! im lucky both my kids aren't wimps tho lol... my son doesnt feel the needles n my daughter creates cos she wants one if her brother has had one lol... sibling rivalry works a treat!!!!!- funny thing is she doesnt want another after she has had one tho lmao....  

Answer 4

Hmmmm, tricky.  Its hard to answer coz I dont know what kind of kid you were.  If it was my daughter I would probably reason with her and explain that she needs the injection even though we dont like having them and I'm sure she would come to terms with it.  I'm sure she would sit on my lap and I would have to hold her firmly but I would let her cry and scream if necessary.  

I guess you just have to tell yourself that your mum thought she was doing the right thing by you by pressing her hand to your mouth.  You obviously needed the injection.  Tell me, do you think you would have sat there and had the injection if she hadn't of done that?  If the answer is no, then I guess she did the only thing she could at the time.  

I imagine that there are stax of children out there who have experienced this.  

I wouldn't be too hard on your mum.

I myself, hated the dentist.  I remember one time the dentist throwing a major tantrum (well, I was throwing a tantrum first) but he refused to work on me unless he could put me to sleep!  I'm screaming and struggling and next thing I knew I had a needle in my hand and I was knocked out cold.  I woke up probably an hour later with my teeth filled!  lol  

Answer 5

this is one of those areas where parents have to get a little creative.  no doubt, childcare experts the world over will be protesting that she repressed your expressions of fear, she did not address your concerns, she used physical means of control unnecessarily, etc, etc.

i'd agree with them to some extent, in that the situation could probably have been prevented, but in the long run, it did you no damage to be restrained briefly, the doctor was able to get the job done, and no harm was done.

the incident was traumatic for a short while but as long as you were not continually and systematically repressed and controlled like that during your childhood, and it was a one-off occurrence which was not regularly repeated, there is nothing wrong with occasionally using such measures.

if your doctors' surgery is anything like mine, it's really hard to get an appointment so it's probably best to just get it over with by whatever means necessary as long as no lasting pain or trauma results.

Answer 6

She didnt hurt you..... she was perfectly justified in doing that. Hey... i dont like injections but i dont scream and carry on when i get them!!!

Answer 7

ah sure discipline was a bit rough around the edges a few years ago.  You had to get your jab and that was how she dealt with it.  Imagine if a mother did that now....lol!

Dont dwell on it, wasnt it better to be protected from a nasty disease!!???

Answer 8

Sure, you got your shot, right? With less embarrassment and less time spent. Haha

Answer 9

it depends on what kind of kid you were. my son, who is 5, is the kind of boy who panics is he falls and gets  a scratch on his knee. he cries like mad if he sees a drop of blood, he throws up and sometimes i have to shake him to get him back to his senses. one time, my car stopped, and he panicked so much and was so frightened that he cried so much that he threw up! so from first hand experience, i can tell you that it's very difficult to reason things out when the person you're trying to talk to can't even listen to a word your are saying! as i see it, you mum did nothing wrong - if you wouldn't listen any other way - she did what was best for you at the moment! it didn't kill you!! it didn't break your self-esteem!! it didn't traumatize you!!! so if it worked- she did the right thing!

Answer 10

I don't think your mom meant any harm,you needed your shot.I guess she didn't want the whole clinic to think her and the doctor were killing you lol.If shes anything like me I hate for my kids to get shots but I know they are necessary ,and sometimes if  kids are really acting up it takes longer to do the job.She probably just wanted the doctor to hurry,so she could get you out of there!

Answer 11

Hello Maria! Got you sussed....reporting you now.

Answer 12

Lol yep, at 8yrs old you were old enough to know better then carry on like that, lol, Mind you I was 9yrs old and terrified of needles, Mum took me to doctor's to get a needle for whatever reason and I didn't know until we walked into the doc's office and he got the needle out,, THAT WAS IT! I was SCREAMING blue murder, and they tried doing the same thing to quieten me down but nope I kicked and hit so they could grab me properly lol, after about 20 minutes of this I grew tired and let my guard down for a split second and they managed to get a good grip on me and give me the shot lol, then I just cried from pure embarrassment as it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, and felt like a complete idiot for carrying on sooo bad and infront of of heaps of other patients pmsl..

I still crack up at the thought of how much I carried on like a complete nutter... too funny..

I have never questioned my Mother's actions or the doctor's, I needed that immunisation and it was done. so yeah I believe your mother was alright in doing so, it's for your own benefit to get them done.