Freaking out over tiny invaders

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June 13, 2011

Freaking out over tiny invaders

Ralph Couey For The Tribune-Democrat The Tribune-Democrat Mon Jun 13, 2011, 11:48 PM EDT

The other day I arrived at work to find one of my co-workers in full freak-out mode.

This is not an unusual state of mind for her, as she is a person about one could say, “She is such a mom.” When Sarah Palin uses the term “Mama Grizzly” she is describing my friend to a T.

Raising children at times can be a process of moving from one freak-out to another over any number of causes. Flu outbreaks, bullies, food recalls, pollution, poison ivy, bee and wasp stings, allergies, emergency room visits, are all part of the parenting experience.

We get exasperated when they’re bouncing off the walls and constantly getting into trouble … you know, “acting normal.”

But if a threat emerges, no matter how large or small, parents, especially moms, launch into crazy protective mode. Anyway, the subject of that particular day’s rant was news of a head lice outbreak in one of the classrooms at her daughter’s school. (To avoid a full-scale, wide-spread, Mama Grizzly freak-out, I will leave the identity of that school to the administrators.)

Ralph Couey is a freelance writer living in Somerset.

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Freaking out over tiny invaders

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