Double Dog Dare You and Other Life Lessons

What is it with kids and dares? My youngest child (age 6) decides that it would be a hoot to accept the challenge that another little boy in his Ranger Kids club gave him and show him that he could indeed stick a small round object (marble/bee bee?) into his ear.

In his panic upon realizing that not only did it fit, but that it would not come out, he shoved it further in when he attempted to wiggle it out with his finger. When he came to me in hysterics to tell me that there was something stuck in his ear, I decided I wasn’t going to mess with it and took him instead to the emergency room.

They couldn’t do anything for him at the ER, so in the morning I get the pleasure of rearranging my whole schedule to take my child to the ear nose and throat specialist so that they can hopefully extract this green plastic ball like thing out of his ear.

Since I wasn’t the one in pain/distress, I think the emotional and physical trauma that my son is having to endure as a result of his decision to give into the “dare” is a lesson in and of itself. I can’t think of a better suited punishment if I tried, so maybe that is why I am not really all that put out. Not to mention that my screaming and yelling isn’t going to make things better, and I am more concerned with his physical well being.

I sincerely hope that it goes well in the morning, I don’t want him to be scarred for life because of this incident.

I will be happy if he learns a lesson from all of this: DO NOT GIVE IN TO DARES. Or just as effective: Do not put foreign objects in your ears.

I was never one to rise to the bait of other children, but then again, I was very stubborn and unwilling to please others as a child. I will have to see how I can instill a some of that independence into him and his siblings. It’s tough being a kid today. Way tougher than it ever has been, and with media and society trying to make kids grow up faster, my job as a parent is much harder than I ever anticipated it would be.

UPDATE: The green plastic ball bearing was successfully extracted. To this date (sometime in 2013) my son has not placed, or desired to place, anything foreign in his ear. Seems like the lesson was learned.