We all hear these words at some point or another from our kids. If there was a parents’ handbook they gave when you became a parent, it would say in there, “your kids will learn to hate you but never really mean it.” Typically, you hear it when there is punishment happening, or when kids are pushing their limits and parents are reining them in. We have to remind ourselves they just are mad they aren’t getting their way.
I have heard these words from David and Melanie on many occasions. And honestly, it does not bother me much. I know they don’t mean it. But today, I heard these words from Joey, and it broke my heart to a million pieces.
I was pinning him down for the final poke in a series of multiple pokes to try to get his lab draw today. We had 3 nurses helping hold him down while he laid on the hospital bed in the infusion center, wrapped in a sheet because of how violent he had gotten with us. He looked at me with utter fear and anger in his eyes and screamed, “I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU. I NO WANNA BE POKED!”
