What a Panic

I am very calm in emergency situations. Here are some sample comments from me.

Don't worry about it. I'm sure it'll stop bleeding eventually.
Just use the other arm.
That doesn't smell like smoke to me.
It always makes that noise. Just ignore it.
That's not a rash.

While we always hear that people should not panic in emergencies, few may realize that it can also be a problem to be too low key. Like when one is in labor, for example. I was only in the hospital 45 minutes when my daughter Leah was born. The doctor barely got there in time and later told me he had not hurried because I had sounded too calm on the phone.

Before becoming parents, most adults put way too much importance on the screaming/crying of children. That's because when an adult screams and/or cries hysterically, that means something REALLY BAD is happening. Non-parents have that as their only frame of reference. But once you have kids, you come to realize that hysteria can mean that the Teddy bear's bow is askew or the icing on the cupcake is not the desired shade of blue. This parental mind shift was not as big an adjustment for me due to my natural inclination to under-react.

So, I did not freak out when my son at age 3 fell from the top of the play equipment at the park and was unconscious for a moment. Nor when daughter fainted when having blood taken. When husband needed nine stitches in his knee. When son and/or daughter(s) and/or husband lost keys and/or wallet and/or homework and/or broke out with mysterious red bumps on one body part or another.

Clearly, there is just no need to panic. It's not like today is the end of the world. Happy 12/21/12!