Wow! I have just had one of the craziest weekends ever! Whoo! So on Friday I had a doula client who was scheduled to be induced at 8:00 AM
At 5:00 AM I started puking.
Let's just say I spent the next twelve hours seriously contemplating if "puking your guts out" could be literal. And I was leaning toward the yes side.
Also luckily (although I suspect that she would disagree with my definition of the word luckily) the hospital my client was delivering at got really busy and couldn't take her for her induction. So I laid around and was sick all day on Friday and managed to feel better on Saturday. However, no luck at the hospital. Still super-busy. I figured we'd hope for Sunday.
Nope! A spot opened up for her at about nine on Saturday night. Gotta love all night births.:)
So I went to the hospital and we got started. And proceeded to have a birth that went slow, slow, slow, slow slow, slow, and then suddenly went so fast that, um, let's just say I had a "hand" in the delivery.:D It was very cool. Something I doubt I will ever do again as, well, doulas are NOT supposed to help deliver the baby. They just deal with the mom.
But still, it was fun. And mom and baby are doing great.
Every time I do a birth, I awaken this inner desire to go back to school for my nursing degree and be a labor and delivery nurse. And I always have to remind myself that now is not my time. I have other things to do, including, but certainly not limited to, raising my kids and writing my books.
But I want to!
When I was little, I pretty much always said one of three things when people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. A doctor (at one point I specifically wanted to be a neonatal surgeon), an author, an actress. I find it very interesting that as I have gotten older, that really hasn't changed. The three things that I really, really want to do, are be an author (which I get to do, yay!), a labor and delivery nurse (because I am so not trying for med school), and an actress (I am determined to get back into theatre one of these days.)
Maybe I am thinking about this so much because Laurel's future, including a potential career, are a big part of book three. Which gets me thinking about all the life-changing decisions teenagers in high school have to make, and how many more they have to make in paranormal books.:D
Seriously though, think of the life-changing decisions you make at seventeen and eighteen. You decide what college to go to. If not college, you decide where you are going to live after high school. You decide what job to do, what you want to major in in college, and some people (including myself) meet their future spouse in their teens. Wow!
On top of that, teens are making moral choices that will affect the rest of their lives. Are they going to have sex? Drink? Do drugs? High school is a time when a lot of kids first try and get addicted to cigarettes. What a time to make these kinds of decisions! Throw peer pressure and the human's natural urge to experiment (and add a heady dash of hormones) into the mix and wow, that is a tough time to make these kinds of decisions!
I think teenagers are amazing, if, for no other reason (and there are a LOT of other reasons) than that they are making more life changing decisions in a course of about four years, than they probably will in any other four-year-period in their entire lives! Is it any wonder that so many authors find it so fascinating to write for this age group?!?! I certainly find it both a challenge and a pleasure.
So adults, if you are a parent, a teacher, a friend, or in any way associated with teenagers, respect them. They are making some truly pivotal choices in their lives right now!
And if you are a teenager? Choose wisely, your decisions now may have more more far-reaching consequences than you imagine. But have fun too.:D
Ciao!
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19 comments:
How very true. A good reminder for us all.
You know, I had an ABSOLUTELY CRAPPY morning this morning with my son. This day has just started out horribly. He's eleven but in junior high now and I know that so many things are changing in his life.
I've struggled for the last two hours with why I can't be better for him (read: "calmer" and "more understanding"). I think all of the things that he is going through are just as hard on me. And, we have a baby hitting the terrible two's right now too, which doesn't help.
Ack. Sorry to unload here, you've just really hit on what I've been thinking about all day long: things are really different for kids as they grow up and we need to really be understanding for them. Let's cross our fingers, ha ha.
Congratulations on being a part of what sounds like a great birth experience. One of the best things on earth, helping bring babies safely into the world.
Have a good day.
You've got the author part down... but if you don't get to be a nurse you could always "play one on TV"--that would satisfy the nurse and actress dreams. You could always write a book about a neonatal surgeon and then when it's made into a movie, you could be cast as the star. See, no reason you can't do all three right...oh, and raise kids, too. Whew!
As my son is about to turn 14, all those concerns are on my mind. Thank heavens he's a great kid.
Making a decision about what you want to do with your life is one of the toughest. I'm still trying.
Glad that you are feeling better, Aprilynne. :-D
Sounds like you are really busy.:-D
I'm sorry you were so sick. That's the pits. But congratulations on "helping" deliver the baby. That must be an amazing experience.
My husband and I had a discussion with similar thoughts about teenagers last night. We have two, going on three, and they are all so very different from each other. Sometimes, we want to smack them upside the head and say, "Be smart! This is your future you're talking about," and others we want to cheer because we know they're really good kids. (Especially when we see the problems other parents have with their teens.)
Then I remember that I was eighteen when I got married to my husband who was 21, and we had a baby right away. Yeah, way too young-and obviously somewhat stupid. Another thing we'll strongly advise our kids against.
Luckily, it worked out and we're happy and successful as a family. Unfortunately, no matter what is going on in his life, I still have to teach my fifteen-year-old how to drive. AAAAAAAAAHHHHH! (Talk about freaky!)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
What a great blessing to attend a birth! I've always wanted to be a doctor too, but I don't want to go through med school :-)
Last year I talked to my midwife about becoming an apprentice. That's definitely one of my life dreams. My husband just looks at me and rolls his eyes when I say this. I'm sure he doesn't look forward to late night births, or holiday births (my first and last are Thanksgiving babies and my midwife came to our house EVERY day of that TG holiday until baby was finially born at midnight on Saturday).
I hope you're feeling better, and I echo my voice to yours about teenagers. I think kids' have it pretty rough too. Not materially necessarily (like in other countries) but emotionally.
Omg I have probably the worst case of the whatever-i-have sickness.... i cant breathe throught my nose and my my tummy hurts :(... i feel horrible not that i am complaining (which i kinda' am :D) but... yeah, also i just want the 2nd book to be out alredy.... i hope now that school has started the time will go by faster waiting for the book. I HOPE! LOL I also want to mention that you are an amazing author... right now ur the only one who interests me... you know how it is you get really hooked on one author and then you cant find any more that appeal to your taste... ugh... well thank you for being THE BEST AUTHOR EVA' ;) and just know that i give you a little imaginary plaque for that... LOL
From,
Tiff
It's funny-I'm a nurse that wants to be an author. I think it's great that you want to get your nursing degree one day, especially as labor and delivery. Those are all very good thoughts to keep in mind as we write for teenagers. I think we kind of forget how hard it was.
Wow, that sounds down right amazing! I am really glad that the timing of your illness didnt get in the way of it. And I hope that you have fully recovered!
I wanted to be a labor and delivery nurse for the longiest time too, but I went on a trip to japan, so now I am leaing toward international relations degree.
I am only 17, and going through all the terros of trying to figure out how in the world I will live when I go to college, and it is really just so confusing, and I am completly stressed over it all, and school. It is really nice to know that there is people who understand how it is. But i guess this is something everyone must go through.
Good luck on the writing! I am so excited for the second book! me and my friends are planing an epic party for its release.
Wow you are a busy girl! Good for you!
this is my first time EVA commenting on here sooooo....HELLO WORLD!!! congrats on helping deliver the baby. i just had a baby girl 2 months ago (and it was at night woo!!) and when i turned and looked at her she was the most beautiful thing iv ever seen. i couldnt love her anymore than i do. thats when my prblems started (kinda). i lost my job cause i had a c section for Bella and i hadnt started college yet (i put it off cause my exscuse was that i was pregnant =) oops) and we were having lots of financial problems as well.but then all of a sudden... everything changed. i had signed up for welfare and food stamps and last week i got the card not to mention an ACCEPTENCE LETTER for a school i applied to. i start in january and im excited!!! i just turned 20 and had Isabella when i was 19 so i know ALL ABOUT the teenage thing not to mention i have a 14 going on 15 year old brother so, trust me, i get it. its not easy dealing with him so I KNOW it was hard for my mom with me, the female with all my messed up hormones and things like that. anyway on to happier things!! =D I L.O.V.E. WINGS!!! i was walking the through the book store just looking for something i thought i would like and EVERYTIME i walked past Wings the cover caught my eye and if that happens, the first thing that comes to mind is "i have to read it". so i checked it out at the library (i was pregnant at this point and strapped for money) and i couldnt put it down!!! i cant wait for the next one!!
I'm seventeen and I had a meeting with my guidance counselor yesterday for all this stuff I need to do for college. Scholarships, recommendations, transcripts, actual applying, send my SAT scores, and other stuff. It's overwhelming. I'm feeling slightly stressed.
I want to be an editor. Of books. My parents tell me "you can do anything you want!" but I know they don't want me to go for being an editor. so that equals lots of stress just with that.
Thankfully, I haven't had to worry about drinking and drugs too much. I just say "No!" =D [my dad says I'm good at saying no to peer pressure.]
Glad you are feeling better, Aprilynne. Sorry to hear you were so ill. I so wish I could have been at that birth. I look forward to seeing picturesof mom and baby and hearing the rest of the story. Suzy posted teh announcement today. love you!
ummmm i didn't actually read what you wrote but I think you should keep writing books but i think you should defenitly make a sequel to Wings cause when i finished it, it was like it wasn't supposed to like it was missing so many chapters, and it felt like every time I read it it was like i kept missing out something cause i didn't want it to end
Well said. Wanna trade jobs then? Being a labor and delivery nurse is fun, but over-rated. I actually love my job but often times I am envious of yours. :)
When I was a kid, I wanted to be wonderwoman. That hasn't changed, either.
I just love this post. Love it.
Ah teenagers, my oldest just went on his first date. It was great for him a little stressful on me. I keep telling my teens to choose everything carefully. Their adulthood is right around the corner.
I am a lactation counselor and had the ideal job before we moved. I miss that work alot. At least I still have my writing to help me feel fulfilled.
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