Kids at the clinic are a given! Moms travel for hours to get here and can’t leave kids alone in the mountains.

Sometimes older kids are able to watch the younger siblings, and moms leave some of the kids at home bringing only the toddlers along.

Some kids won’t have that!

One sweet little guy knows exactly what he wants when his mom comes for her monthly check-up at Sion.

His mom says his sister could watch him, but he insists on coming with her.

His mission? To play with the fun clinic toys!

As soon as they arrive in the waiting room, he is completely absorbed, arranging and rearranging the blocks with intense focus.

Time just flies by in his world until, before he’s ready, it’s time to go! I’m pretty sure he didn’t even notice when his mom slipped around the corner for her appointment, or when she finished and returned. He didn’t even seem to hear her calling him from the door!

It isn’t just him though. We often step out with our last patient waiting to find toys everywhere!

You know it’s a good sign when a kiddo is so wrapped up in playing that their mom asks to buy the toys!

It happens more often than you might think!

… ok, it’s happened twice! But that’s twice more than I’ve ever heard someone ask to buy waiting room toys!

Sometimes moms will stay a little longer after their appointments just because their children are having such a great time playing in a safe and welcoming space.

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In Guatemala, many kids are afraid of nurses and clinics.

You know how sometimes parents, trying to manage behavior in a tough moment, might say something like “If you don’t behave, the nurse will give you a shot”?

Oh man, while I understand the exhaustion that can lead to those moments, it really does a number on building trust in medical professionals for these little ones!

Mostly we work with moms- but when we’re working with kids here, a significant part of our job is often assuring them, with big smiles and gentle voices, that we are definitely not the “shot nurses”!

It takes patience, a lot of gentle coaxing, and more often than not, the magical power of some simple bubbles to help ease fears and finally get those precious smiles!

It’s a small part of an encounter, but rebuilding trust and creating positive associations with care is so important. ❤️

It brings such joy to see the clinic be a fun place for the kids as well as a safe and caring place for their moms. Every detail, even the toys in the waiting room, helps make these visits a little bit easier for the families we serve. ❤️

So come on out to Quiche’!

At Sion we have the cool toys!