Put a Mom in Charge

I consider it my sacred duty as a mother to be ready for all sorts of emergency situations, be it a torn pair of pants or a scraped knee. All moms feel the same.  However, when said parent has an anxiety disorder, the "emergency" becomes more bloody and horrific.  We can't help having visions of our precious offspring suffering some terrible malady, and we will do anything in our power to avoid such an occurrence.

When my son began to play soccer, I realized that various injuries were highly likely.  After all, soccer involves a bunch of kids running after the same ball in a swirling mass of legs and arms, trying to score goals.  Eyes get poked, ankles get turned.  What parent wouldn't be worried about that?  

The best way to alleviate anxiety is action.  Instead of being paralyzed by the vivid images in my brain, I started planning. When Zane was younger, I planned on those instant cold packs and band aids for the sidelines.  Since three year old Zane was of the opinion that an ice pack solved every ill, we were good. 

As Zane has become older, however, I've had to plan the first aid kit out more carefully.  In addition to situations requiring an ice pack or a band aid, we now have to concern ourselves with bug bites, allergic reactions, dirt in the eye, broken or sprained limbs, heatstroke, bloody noses, annoyed referees, and the occasional broken shoe lace. There's also the mud that gets on your cleats and makes a kid feel like they are running in quicksand. 

I have not sat idly by, nursing my anxiety.  I may not be able to rush out on the field when my child is hurt, but I've made sure to pack the most ridiculously comprehensive first aid kit in recreational soccer history.  At least that's what I think.  I was prepared for pretty much everything.  I've even got thermal blankets in there, too, in case someone goes into shock.   I spent one morning organizing and packing everything into a special container, labeling each bag with the contents, so my husband, who does get to sit on the sidelines near the players, can find what he needs quickly.

Except for the fact that Larry doesn't know the first thing about first aid, we're golden. 

But this exercise made me think that perhaps there were other areas in life where moms should be in charge of the planning and organizing.  In addition to first aid, moms should probably be in charge of other situations that require such preparation.  Maybe emergency management?  A mom would be able to stock up on everything needed to prepare for just about every situation.  How about managing the large crowds at a football stadium.  Moms might not be able to do crowd control, but they can spot areas of concern in an instant and they know how to fix the problem.  Moms do a lot of on-the-spot problem solving, and they should get credit for that. Whereas a man tends to be initially stymied by surprise occurrences, moms just wade right into the situation.

Maybe what this world needs is more moms in charge?