Today, Kamalani brought up the tiny bruise left on her thigh from the immunization she had last Friday. She asked if her mom cried when she got hers and I told her no, her mom was very good about getting her shots. I explained how her mom clamped my hands tightly and took deep breaths while I whispered for her to be strong and it’ll be over soon. She was the easiest of all my children to get her immunization.

That same day, Mason needed to get his shots for school and I thought that since Meg didn’t cry he’d wouldn’t be too afraid to get his done. Boy was I wrong. Not only did he start crying, he ran out of the room and hid under the desk behind the receptionist’s counter. He was still screaming while he hid under there. He never cried softly, he always screamed as if someone was trying to kill him. We still tease him about that.

Kamalani laughed when I told her that tale and she smiled proudly and said, I’m just like Unlce Mason, right? I nodded and said, ‘You’re EXACTLY like Uncle Mason.’

Then she looked at me squarely and asked if I cried when I had my shots. Wow, that took me back a few centuries (ok, decades) to my earliest recollection of being tackled down by a team of nurses when the doctor tried to give me a pennicillin shot on my butt cheeks. I remember the doctor telling my mom how strong I was. I didn’t go into details with Kamalani but I did spill the beans about screaming whenever I had to get a shot. At that she smiled even wider and said, “Oh, so we’re all the same; You, me and Uncle Mason. We all screamed.” I laughed and said, “Yep, we’re all crybabies.”

When I think about the similarities between Mason and Kamalani I start to wonder if she’ll be like him on the first day in Kindergarten. I hope not. Mason ran out of his classroom because he wanted to be at home with me. The teacher had the campus walker try to catch him but whenever he got close to Mason, he’d take off running again. They called me at home and my aunt took me to his school to get him. When he saw my aunty, he started laughing and thinking it was a game. She’d call him to her and he’d get close then take of running away again. He finally came running to me and hiding behind my back. I swear that kid drove me nuts when he was little. I had to explain to him that he was a big boy now and he needed to stay in class like the other kids in his class. He finally settled down and got into the swing of the whole school thing. I’m hoping history won’t repeat itself in this situation. I think she’ll do fine because she’s had some experience in a classroom setting at her day care. I’m gonna cross my fingers though, to be on the safe side.