A Not So Sweet Pea

Somehow, we’ve managed to avoid one of the parenthood rites of passage--when your kid sticks something up her nose and can’t get it out.  Until yesterday, that is.  R decided to stick a pea up her nose just before dinner.  We noticed her digging around in there with her finger and stopped to examine the situation more closely.  A green pea.  Stuck a little too high for us to be able to get to with our fingers.  We pulled out the tweezers and the bulb syringe, both of which caused R to screech with terror.  So we put them away and decided to go ahead with dinner, hoping the situation would somehow resolve itself.  As the parents of four, we find ourselves often hoping that various things will just resolve themselves.  Fighting.  Laundry.  Dishes.  It hardly ever works, but we haven’t given up hope.

One of our older daughters said the prayer in which she asked God to help the pea come out of R’s nose. Her unfortunate choice in words, made us all burst out laughing.  How irreverent.  We’d have to ask forgiveness later, but right then we had to get on with dinner.  Amidst all the negotiating of how much of each dish the kids had to eat, someone asked how R was doing.  Shaggy glanced at her and replied,  “She’s ok, but she doesn’t smell too good.”  What do you mean, she doesn’t smell too good, is she poopy?  “Nope,” Shaggy said, “she has a pea up her nose, so she doesn’t smell too good.”  The rest of the meal consisted mostly of laughter--a little short on nutrition, but good for the soul.  The puns became lamer and lamer, but the laughing continued.  By the time we finally gave up the charade and cleared the table, we noticed that there was no sign of the pea in R’s nose.  After a quick examination, we pronounced the problem solved.  And I guess that pronouncement was correct, since she smelled ok today.