There was considerable debate in the Q. Household before the appointment about whether or not our kids would be welcome in the office. Never having visited such a place before, I wasn't sure whether or not this was truly a place where various reproductive issues were dealt with or whether it was primarily an infertility clinic. I have previously brought my children with me to almost every other type of doctor--endocrinologist, rheumatologist, dermatologist, family practice, urgent care, nurse midwives, etc.
We were planning on going somewhere else as a family after my appointment and, if DH could be present with the docs, the more the better. Logistically that meant our kids would be with us. (Other options included tricking the staff into watching them, leaving them in the car with the windows cracked, or dropping them off at various public places and hoping for the best.)
When we got to the office, we allowed Boy Q to go up with me. The waiting room was glass, plastic, and round. No toys, no other children, not even a Highlights magazine. To boot, the room was small with high ceilings. This = fantastic acoustics.
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| http://eucalyptusway.blogspot.com/2011/06/in-flash.html |
As an office that probably has a great many couples coming through who desperately desire children, I see the logic in this. It's adding insult to injury if the waiting room is full of objects that remind them that they don't have children.
Imagine my great horror when I stepped in with a living, breathing child! The women who were already in the waiting room looked not at me, but at my son.
DH parked the car and then came up with our little bit of a daughter. A friendly fellow patient smiled at my kids longingly. I spoke to DH through a crack in the door, "There are no toys! Get them out of here!" He took them to play in the elevator.
Later, after chatting with some of the couples in the waiting room, one of the women said to me, "Was that your husband? You have a boy and a girl?" I nodded. "Your family is beautiful, just beautiful."
The gift of that day, despite our struggles with having a third Q Kid, was seeing my family through a stranger's eyes.
