The Trouble With Drool

Today was Nathan’s second week in nursery and his first time without Doug. Nathan had a rough go of it and he cried most of the time. This is understandable as transition into nursery is hard for most 18 month olds. The transition has been a little rough on me too. Nate is still so little. Not only is he a bit small for his age and much smaller than most kids in nursery but he doesn’t walk and he’s completely non-verbal. He’s also more shy and sensitive to changes than James and Daphne were at his age. He’s still such a baby to me, not a toddler. I worry about putting him in a situation where he will require additional assistance in an already understaffed and often stressful environment.

But we are putting him in nursery anyway, partly out of necessity so Doug and I can fulfill our callings and partly because Nate is 18 months and it’s healthy for him to interact with people other than his siblings and parents.

Today, however, I caught a glimpse of my future with a child that’s a little different from the “norm” and rethought my choice to put Nathan in the nursery. It was mostly due to all the crying but when Doug picked Nathan up, the nursery worker asked that we put a bib on him next time because of his excessive drool. He had drooled all over her and all over the toys. She said this as she sprayed disinfectant on anything Nathan touched.

I know I’m being over-sensitive about the bib request. It’s not an unreasonable thing to ask and it is perfectly appropriate to disinfect toys covered with kid-spit. Yet, I find myself defensive of Nathan’s drool—Was she disinfecting anyone else’s toys? What makes my kid’s drool any germier than that other kid’s hands?



I must come to her defense to save myself from offense: She doesn’t know Nathan’s drooling is part of his cerebral palsy. She doesn’t know Nathan has a pediatric speech/oral motor therapist to help with his drooling issues. She doesn’t know Nathan’s mother worries for him because while drooling 18 months isn’t a huge social problem, by age four or five, when peers start commenting on his puddles, it is a social problem; one that he will most likely struggle with his entire life.

I’ve thought about never taking my child to nursery again. Whisking him away so I won’t burden anyone with his drool. But this won’t help anyone, not now or in the future, especially not Nathan who gives us daily assurances he’s just a normal little kid who wants to do normal kid things.

Oh, by the way, Nate's CP also comes with perfect piano posture. Who can say "prodigy."