The Mother in the Waiting Room

They made me go into the operating room with him.

They had me scrub up and carry him into the bright room filled with probably ten plus people. 

I was told to hold him down as they administered the anesthesia.

The terror in that little face as they held the mask there, waiting for him to go to sleep.

He was only 18 months old so I couldn’t explain all this to him. All I could do was watch his eyes filled with fear, looking at me with that, “help me Mommy” face until his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell asleep. I felt as if I was a horrible mother watching them do this to my baby boy.

Now I don’t care how old your child is or how long you’ve been a mother, this is a terrifying experience at any season of life.

He was only getting tubes in his ears. 

A very common procedure, something that most children get these days it seems. A procedure that they told me would only take 10 minutes, tops. 

And boy how long those 10 minutes felt. I remember going into the waiting room to my husband, tears in my eyes and fear at what I just had to witness being done to my baby. 

Ten minutes. 

Ten minutes of worry. Worrying if you’re making the right decision and if everything is going okay. 

And as I was sitting in the waiting room, looking around at everyone else in the hospital, I realized how blessed I was that it was only ear tubes that I was in for. That it was only a 10 minute wait. 

The moms that have to sit here for longer than 10 minutes while their baby is receiving cancer treatment or having a more invasive procedure done. 

The moms that have babies that were born unhealthy and the constant trips to the doctors for things much larger than ear infections. 

The moms that have to wait for the doctor to come out and tell them if their child made it or if they’ll hear the news that their reason for existence has left this world to meet our Maker. 

And in that moment, I prayed and thanked God for my healthy, little boy. I thanked Him that although my son had ear infections, he overall was healthy, strong, and my little angel here on earth. I prayed that even though I was scared at this moment, that I needed to remember that things could be much worse and to remember the blessings I do have. 

And then before I knew it, the doctor came out to get me and my husband so we could be there when our sweet little boy woke up. 

Just like that – my ten minutes were up. 

But somewhere else in the world, there was another mother still waiting. Another mother full of worry and agonizing over her child’s health. 

And tonight, I pray for her.