It was just another ordinary Friday evening. I returned home from work to find my husband, a dedicated stay-at-home dad, looking thoroughly worn out from a day spent chasing our energetic 2-year-old. After I unloaded the groceries, he announced that he was ready to take a well-earned nap.
Being the supermom that I am, I had anticipated this scenario and bought a rotisserie chicken from the store, despite my husband’s frequent reminders about its lack of organic certification. Tonight, we were diving into the world of antibiotic and hormone-laden chicken!
As I prepared the meal in my comfy superhero pajama pants, my son sat at the table devouring his Costco chicken, croissant, and organic Fuji apple. Meanwhile, I noticed a growing pile of packages on the kitchen table. Oh! The picture frames I ordered for his school photos had arrived. I could multitask—frame the photos while he enjoyed his dinner. Surely, this would make up for serving him that non-organic chicken.
As my husband dozed off, my son was happily shoving food into his mouth. I finished framing his photos, but soon felt an urgent need to use the restroom. I moved his food out of reach and reminded him to chew carefully—after all, I am a responsible parent. I switched on the TV to keep him entertained with his favorite show and dashed to the bathroom, hoping to be in and out in under two minutes.
Upon returning, I was met with a scene that made my heart race. There was my precious toddler, with remnants of packaging scattered before him. He was trying to hand me something, and I naively assumed it was just cardboard. As I reached out, he said, “I ate it,” and I realized he was holding a silica gel desiccant packet adorned with the words “DO NOT EAT.”
I snatched it from his hands, checking for moisture—thankfully, it was dry. Yet, just then, I spotted the empty packet on the table, damp with saliva and a few tiny beads rolling around. My adrenaline surged as I screamed for my husband. I scrambled to unsnap my son from his booster seat and ran toward our bedroom.
With my husband still wearing earplugs, it took a moment to wake him. I burst in, flipped on the lights, and urgently explained the situation. I hurried to find my phone but couldn’t locate it, so I grabbed his instead. Thankfully, he had Poison Control saved in his contacts.
To my relief, a calm and professional voice answered quickly. “Poison Control,” she said. I explained the incident, bracing myself for the worst. She reassured me that this was a common call. As long as my son was breathing and not in distress, he would be fine. She explained that the warning on the packet was primarily due to choking hazards, not toxicity. After gathering some information, she ended the call.
My husband entered the room and sensed the tension had eased. I relayed the good news, then placed his phone back on the counter, only to be overtaken by a wave of emotion. I broke down in tears—definitely not the image of a supermom in my Wonder Woman pajamas.
To make matters worse, my little one had followed his dad and was now picking up the tiny beads from the floor and attempting to eat them. We quickly cleared his mouth and took him out of the room while cleaning up. The realization of what could have happened weighed heavily on me.
My husband took a moment to comfort me, saying, “He was never in any danger. He’s fine. I’m going to do some laundry. Just try not to let him get into more trouble while I’m away.”
Reflecting on the chaos, I realized I had survived another eventful Friday night, as had my son. Perhaps I do deserve those Wonder Woman pajamas after all. And seriously, silica gel, you can take a hike!
For more information about the safe handling of such incidents, you can consult resources like MedlinePlus.
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Summary:
In this humorous yet cautionary tale, a mother recounts a chaotic Friday evening where her 2-year-old son accidentally ingests a silica gel packet. After a moment of panic and a call to Poison Control, she learns that while the packet poses a choking hazard, the contents are harmless. This incident serves as a reminder of the unpredictability of parenting and the importance of staying vigilant.