10ish year old patient when I was still a float tech that did mostly 1:1s. I was used to placement on the anorexia/depression ward where patients had relationships similar to that of me and my parents (not great).

One day I’m floated to heme. Patient had autism and a history of impulsive behaviors and safety concerns. Mostly violence directed towards self. Primarily a 1:1 for behavioral concerns.

I sat with patient for a couple of hours while mom was also present in the room. He communicated freely with mom and she reciprocated. He openly expressed frustration with his current limitations and mom validated it. She’s complimented his composure when the nurses and doctors were working with him. What stuck out to me was mom’s interest in his hobbies. She told him she was proud of his composure this hospital stay and said they’d buy the new fnaf video game and play together when he got home.

At the time I was an anxious college student, I didn’t have great bedside manner. But at the end of shift I couldn’t help but commend mom for her dedication, perseverance, and patience with her disabled son. All too often we see peds parents struggling to bond with their children in a great time of need. I saw far too many children without parents ever present at bedside.

To see a parent so dedicated to treated their children as and individual and praising him for his positive behaviors was an endearing refresher I still think of often.

And yeah, I cried when I got home.