5 Distinctive Noses. 5 Distinctive Blows-es

We have 5 children. Each one has their own things, personality, clothes, styles, and of course, how they each blow their nose. As I watch, listen, and experience each of their nose blowing methods over the last few months of cold and flu season, I have come to appreciate them each a little more within their own personalities.

So, here they are. The noses and the blows-es. The names have been changed, but the noses are real. (I tried to make that dragnet-y, but it didn’t really work).

The 12 year old. Until very recently, his nose blowing was fairly consistent with what you may expect from any other 12 year old. He would take a tissue up to his nose, make some kind of nasally exhaling sounds, roll the tissue around, and throw it away (more than likely a perfectly unused tissue.) Because everyone knows, people will think you’re weird if you blow your nose and it make a sound. And, then he will continue to sit there for the next 30 minutes sniffing snot every second, because that sounds much nicer. He recently came to the revelation that it is healthier to blow – and blow like you mean it – than it is to suck it back in. So, now he blows, just like the rest of us….or something like that.

The 7 year old. He is trying real hard. With an emphasis on hard. I don’t know, maybe he is blowing a whole lot more than everyone else in the house, but I think he may be just putting too much pressure on himself. I mean – they’re tissues, not sandpaper. He gets fluid out and in the tissue just fine. I think he may have some touching up to do in the touching up department for the after-blow. We need to get him to understand that he doesn’t have to scrape of the first layer of skin with each tissue, just dab around for any missed boogers and other nasal remnants.

Our 5 year old. He is an fun one. When he started on his nose-blowing independence, he would often forget to blow his nose. “I need a tissue” would be the cry. (It still is today). When he would get the tissue (bigger than ½ of his face), he would use a tiny corner of it to dab the drip a snot under one nostril and be done with it. Now, he does blow his own nose, but he has the process backwards. He will roll up his tissue and wipe any excess that may have already dripped out of his nose, and then proceed to use the ball to somehow blow from both sides at once. He’s learning the right method, it just takes time to change a habit.

Our three year old. I would have to say, she might be our best nose blower. However, she is a bit premature on her blowing. I will bring a tissue to her face, and just before I get about 1” away, she blows with everything she’s got! It’s a good blow, but where everything goes has left a little to be desired sometimes. She really anticipates blowing her nose, too much at times. But when it all comes together, and the timing is just right, her nose blowing experience ends up quite well..

The 19 month old. Well, no. He doesn’t. In fact, he hasn’t even learned the art of wiping it on his sleeve like his predecessors had before him. What he has learned to do however is when he feels that he wants to come sit on your lap, he will climb up more than likely at one of his snottiest opportunities. And, not only that, he will somehow find a way to climb into your lap and rest his head on your shoulder using nothing but his nose. Maybe he wants to leave a trail in case he needs to find his way back down, I don’t know. Whatever his reason for doing so, he certainly leaves his mark, giving him credit in the current nose blowing chronology.

And there you have it. My inspiration for the night. I love my children.