A Couple of Slightly Embarassing Encounters

Yesterday I had a couple of slightly embarassing encounters, which I will now relate to you. That picture, by the way, is a dodo bird.

Embarassing Encounter #1: In which our pediatrician implies that I am mentally challenged

When L turned three in November we took the girls for their annual checkup. The pediatrician recommended several vaccinations for K now that we're back in Germany - namely, FMSE (to prevent diseases carried by ticks, which run rampant in Bavaria), Meningitis (apparently making a come back in the UK) and a chicken pox refresher.

They have to be scheduled a month apart and you need three FMSE shots so we've been making pretty regular trips to the pediatrician.

Yesterday was K's 2nd FMSE shot and she already did the Meningitis and the chicken pox ones. She has one more FMSE to go and then has to refresh MMR in October. It's hard to keep track of it all. But at least she's a fine big girl who never had problems with vaccinations, so my days of crying the night before are more or less behind me.

Yesterday I conversationally asked the doctor why L doesn't need the same shots. He said, 'She does.'

Excuse me????

This could not have been mentioned during her physical? Or one of the many times K has been in for her battery of shots? We could not, for example, have been doing both sets of shots at the same time? I now have to schedule four additional doctor visits to take care of this?

I was somewhat irate.

Plus, L is only 3 so I still worry about giving her shots.

I'm not a big fan of my own dithering but I was caught off guard and kept repeating, 'Why didn't you tell me this before?' and things of that kind. His response? 'It didn't really come up.'

Then I asked for a vaccination chart for both kids with dates. Which I think is fair.

With the light glinting snarkily off his glasses he suggested I come back some time without the kids (who were behaving perfectly) and he'd explain it to me. Yeah, because I need another doctor visit in my life. Ralf says he was trying to be helpful, but I think he was trying to make it my bad that I didn't know L needed shots too.

Anyway we passed on L's shot yesterday because she has a slight cold and I didn't opt for the one-on-one. And (sigh) we have another appointment for next month.

Embarassing Encounter #2: In which another mom thinks I'm a total moron

When we got home I rang up the mother of K's love interest to organize a playdate and we settled on Friday. She offered to drive the kids to her house in their soccer team bus but then I would have to write a permission slip for her to take my kids out of Kindergarten, which would give her a hall pass to steal my kids and I'm just not that trusting.

So I said I'd meet her there and drive the kids over. She said she could still take them in her car. This was followed by an embarassing moment of me explaining that I still wanted to follow along so I could find their house at pick up time.

There was a moment of silence, that special Teutonic sort of silence that only native Germans can pull off. It is a silence that speaks volumes and what it says is, 'Wow, you're really retarded.'

Finally she said, 'But you have our addess.' It was even more scathing in German.

This comment was unassailable and I had to agree. 'Yes, that is true, I have your address. But you see, that won't actually help me find your house.'

Our GPS got stolen out of our car on the way over here... it's a long story. And I'm useless at navigation.

We left it at that.

I somehow don't think I'll be invited in for coffee. And she's probably questioning whether she wants her kids playing with my kids any more.