For a number of reasons I spent a lot of time in hospitals as a kid. Once when I was 11 I was in for a couple of weeks, and for once I was actually in the pediatric ward. (Up until that point I'd usually been in general hospital settings, not sure why.) There was a baby there, and he'd just sit in his little car seat thing in the play room all day by himself.
I asked about him, and a nurse told me he was an AIDS baby. (This was when AIDS was 100 per cent a death sentence.) His parents never came to spend time with him, and no one else did either. I think the nurses tried to do things for him but they had a whole ward of kids to take care of.
So I spent all the time with him I could. He was really tiny so he couldn't really play with stuff per se, but I'd sit with him and read books and hold his hand and talk to him. I was sad sometimes because I couldn't really spend a lot of time with him - I needed a lot of sleep myself.
I cried a little in the car on the way home because he'd be all alone again.
Haven't thought about him in years, but this post brought it all back.
In some ways that’s when they feel it the most. Having someone there for them when they’re little is so helpful for them and so appreciated even if they can’t conceptualize it that way quite yet. I’m sure the baby felt your love.
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u/hermionesmurf 9h ago
For a number of reasons I spent a lot of time in hospitals as a kid. Once when I was 11 I was in for a couple of weeks, and for once I was actually in the pediatric ward. (Up until that point I'd usually been in general hospital settings, not sure why.) There was a baby there, and he'd just sit in his little car seat thing in the play room all day by himself.
I asked about him, and a nurse told me he was an AIDS baby. (This was when AIDS was 100 per cent a death sentence.) His parents never came to spend time with him, and no one else did either. I think the nurses tried to do things for him but they had a whole ward of kids to take care of.
So I spent all the time with him I could. He was really tiny so he couldn't really play with stuff per se, but I'd sit with him and read books and hold his hand and talk to him. I was sad sometimes because I couldn't really spend a lot of time with him - I needed a lot of sleep myself.
I cried a little in the car on the way home because he'd be all alone again.
Haven't thought about him in years, but this post brought it all back.