Scrapes

Has anyone else noticed that GP surgeries work on the principle of the inverse square law?
The longer you're kept waiting, the shorter your appointment will be.
Joseph had his one year review today. We were waiting for over half an hour and the entire appointment took less than three minutes. Well, there simply wasn't much to discuss in his case - any problems? No. Any worries? No. His heart and hips are fine. Good. Bye, then.
If I hadn't needed to get a page filled in in his little red book of health then I wouldn't have bothered going. Joseph hates stethoscopes and seems to be developing something of a mistrust of medical people, probably something to do with the fact that whenever he meets them he's either having his hips wiggled about, having cold things put on his chest, having his little feet stabbed for a blood sample or having large needles shoved deep into the muscles in his little legs. I keep telling him that the alternative, catching diphtheria or meningitis C or some other nasty, is a lot worse but he doesn't really understand. All he can say at the moment is "Daddy" and "Nanana" (stressed like "banana" which I think is the word he's aiming for). I am "Daddy", random people waiting in the surgery were "Daddy", the chair was pointed at and called "Daddy". "Mama" seems to have got a bit lost recently, haven't heard any of his "Muh" sounds in a while.

If all is well for Joseph then the last he need see of a health professional will be in slightly under a months time for his MMR. He'll probably hate that one as well, but the risks associated with measles are too serious to ignore and I really don't want him to get mumps as Andy has never had mumps and it can be quite serious for adult males if they catch it. As for rubella, given the problems associated with that illness and the risks involved if you pass it on to a pregnant woman then I think you'd be a bit silly not to have the jab. Besides, if he's immunised then that's three reasons why he wont have to see a health professional again for quite some time and I am hoping that he grows out of his not totally irrational fears, even if he never finds the idea of an injection palatable.
Me, I was always the little kid who wanted to see what was going on. Where others would pale and keel over, I'd be squiggling about trying to find out what was happening. I was always far more comfortable if I could see, and I still am. The only time in A&E I ever felt uncomfortable was when the doctor wouldn't let me look. I understand why, they were removing a large sewing machine needle from my finger, but all the same I wanted to see.
Joseph, I hope you are not squeamish. Still, if the doctor thinks it's more sensible to patch you up from whatever scrape you've got yourself into without you looking then it's probably better to take their advice. Hey, you're a little boy. There are going to be scrapes.