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What Works for Us: Family Practice

I don't really like to rant on this blog but every once in a while, I just can't help myself. And what I want to rant about today is pediatricians.

Don't get me wrong. Pediatricians are a great idea. Kids are different from adults and it is great to have a pediatrician if your child has serious health problems. But for regular check-ups, pediatricians are the pits.

My main problem with seeing a pediatrician on a regular basis is that they think every minor deviation from average constitutes a serious health problem. Skinny kid = malnourished. Late walker = stupid. Late talker = autism. They freak parents out unnecessarily and, as a result, increase the amount of worry and disappointment directed at normal children. They heap up guilt on great (or at least perfectly adequate) parents about things they can't (and don't need to) change.

The truth is that no child is average. They are above average in some areas and below average in others. Or, perhaps, they are above average in all areas or below average in all areas. That is ok! A normal, loving mother does not need to do anything special to help her child reach their potential and even if a child's potential is below average, that is not a medical problem.

The alternative is the family practice doctor. A family practice doctor is great because:
1. They don't see kids all day. As a result, your children are special to them.
2. They don't interact with parents all day. As a result, they are less likely to assume that you are stupid.
3. Their training is focused more on the normal, rather than the abnormal, functioning of the body. As a result, they are less likely to see deviations from the average as problems and more likely to see them as within the normal range of possibilities.
4. They see and treat your whole family. As a result, they are more likely to give useful advice specific to your circumstances and genes.
5. They charge less money. As a result, you get better service for less.

I come from a family of doctors. My dad is even a pediatrician. I admire and honor the work he has done helping children with serious health issues. But I know that his level of expertise and experience is not required to give my sons a check up. In some cases, that extra knowledge can be a hindrance when you need someone to see your unique and wonderful child and not an aberration.

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Hannah said…
AMEN! Well put, and thank you for saying so. :)
August 24, 2011 at 8:18 AM
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