Movies, Movies, Movies

People have been asking Jordan about his hospital stay. He answers with some variant of, "I got to watch lots of movies." And we did. In the seven days he was there, we watched all three Alladin movies, Robin Hood, Fantasia, The Land Before Time V, The Neverending Story and maybe a few more I'm forgetting. We don't own a TV and limit screen time pretty strictly so this was a real treat for Jordan. Most of the movie watching was early in his stay. By the end, when he was more alert and active, I was limiting him to one movie a day.


I find it interesting that this is what Jordan focuses on. He doesn't talk about painful needle sticks or the caustic IV medications that had him screaming. He likewise doesn't mention the teams of doctors who poked and prodded him or the two procedures he underwent. He doesn't speak of the more interesting aspects of his medical care either. Unsurprisingly, the doctors, nurses and technicians at Children's are used to young patients. They were wonderful about taking the time to explain to Jordan what was going on and showing him pictures of his veins, belly, bones, and abcess.

Children's Hospital Boston also has an utterly amazing Child Life program. Jordan had loads of games to play with me. He had a volunteer bring him comic books. He got to visit with a dog and a pair of clowns. He even met an author-illustrator and got to create and draw an "eligerpine" with him.

But this isn't what he talks about. He talks about the movies.

I'd say it was because they are a novelty for him, but so are medical tests and interactions with published artists. Maybe it's because his father and I wouldn't normally allow such a lot of watching whereas we would regularly jump at the more educational and interactive things. (And the hospital stay itself was definitely educational, though I don't recommend it.)

Whatever, the reason, the movies are what he focuses on. And it's a better focus than those horrid IV sessions. So I guess, I can be thankful. And I suspect that those unexpected anatomy lessons and the odd animal thing will actually stick with him longer. After all, he was a part of them, not just watching.