Conversations with my daughter.
Feb. 18th, 2008 06:39 pmAlex: Why do you have to go to the doctor?
Me: Remember when I had to go to the hospital a while ago? After you've been in the hospital, your doctor usually needs to check to make sure everything is okay.
Alex: Does your tummy still hurt, Mama?
Me: No. I feel okay. But the doctor needs to check my insides to make sure everything is okay there.
Alex: But HOW are you going to take your OUTSIDES off?
Me: Remember when I had to go to the hospital a while ago? After you've been in the hospital, your doctor usually needs to check to make sure everything is okay.
Alex: Does your tummy still hurt, Mama?
Me: No. I feel okay. But the doctor needs to check my insides to make sure everything is okay there.
Alex: But HOW are you going to take your OUTSIDES off?
no subject
Date: 2008-02-19 04:01 am (UTC)I'm pretty sure she understands that a stethoscope is for listening to a person's heart and lungs, although she may just understand that it's for "listening to your chest" or "listening to your breathing." It's another step to understand that you might figure out that something is wrong with a person's heart by listening to how it sounds.
An X-ray would have been an even better example, because we've looked at X-rays at the science museum and she understands that they're a picture of someone's bones. My blood example may have inadvertently created the notion that doctors examine all our inside parts by taking bits of them out to have a look.
...Which is pretty disturbing.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-19 05:16 am (UTC)