I love it when kids cry!

Okay, so the title probably got your attention and you're thinking, what kind of pediatrician is this?!

It snowed quite a bit in our area today. The roads were slippery and a car near an outside town lost control and crashed into another. A semi driving up the same road could not stop in time to avoid the accident and crashed into them both. Our little town does not have many multiple motor vehicle accidents like this. At the hospital, we got news that several adults and chidren were being brought in. We rushed to the ER to await their arrival. The kids came first. There was an 8 year old and a 1 year old.

I love it when kids cry. The sounds of both these children crying was a reassuring sound -- it meant they were conscious, alert and that their airway was not compromised. The 1 year old had a head laceration that appeared superficial. The 8 year old had some abdominal pain. While performing the primary survey, one of the nurses asked the crying 8 year old, "where do you live?" Between sniffles and tears, he answered as an 8 year old would: "At my house." In the midst of a tense situation, it brought a flicker of a smile to our faces while we continued with the trauma assessment.