It pays to listen to your children!

There we are, having a wonderful picnic in the park...

I put Ian up on top of the picnic table, because he could see out over the water, and have easier access to the food. He happily munched on his apple, and rested his right hand down on the table. Then, my happy little boy turned into a child paranoid of the dirt on his hand! He kept whining and fussing and holding his hand up, even after I had brushed the dirt off...first with my hand, then on his pants, and finally on a napkin. He would return briefly to eating his apple, and then complain about his hand again.

This continued for a little while, until Matt joined us and provided a welcome distraction. They played, and Ian tried to put Matt's cover on his own head, then return it to daddy's head (albeit sideways, haha).

I was resting my elbows and arms on the table, snapping a few photos, and then suddenly, pain! I looked down at my elbow and it was extremely rad, and all up my arm where it had been resting on the table there were little red bumps. They were pretty painful, it felt like tiny glass shards or something...but I couldn't see anything on my arm at all! I grabbed a wet wipe and cleaned off my arm, elbow and then Ian's hands.

We ended up going to the commissary and I noticed the right side of Ian's face had a rash too. I wiped it off with a wipe, and blessedly, it went away quickly.

Next time, I'm listening to Ian when he protests, even at invisible things! I guess there was something growing on that table, or pollen of some sort we all were sensitive to (even Matt called and said he was a little itchy). A lesson re-learned...it never hurts to assume that a person ISN'T being overreactive, and give them credit for legitimate feelings (even if we don't think the same way). Probably a life lesson that ties into more than just the physical...guess it's the golden rule after all! :)