Note:  As part of Child Life Month, we are having posts about different aspects of Le Bonheur Children's Child Life Services.  I am excited to do so by introducing a new writer, Casey Caughran, who is part of the Child Life team.

by Casey Caughran
Child Life Specialist

We are kicking off Child Life Month with Spirit Week.  The idea behind the week long celebration is to get Le Bonheur Children's associates excited and aware of Child Life Month.  This is an opportunity for the Child Life staff to educate those around us of our role on the treatment team and the services that we can provide their patients.

We will do this through both fun and education.  For example, we will have the different units and areas of the hospital show their Le Bonheur Children's Spirit through decorating a megaphone.  They will have to be extra creative if they want to win during a special event during the week.

One of the main events during Spirit Week is going to be our first ever Pep Rally.  It will be a big event that will engage the entire hospital in the celebration, and at the same time help raise awareness of Child Life Services.  One of the more fun elements during the Pep Rally will be our very own child life staff will be performing silly skits to entertain our patients and families.
 

A big part of being a child life specialist is providing a normal environment that can also provide distraction from the overall hospital experience.  Special events, such as our Pep Rally, are just one way our Child Life team provides distraction from the hospital environment and promotes positive coping throughout a hospital admission.  Our goal is to provide normalcy to the hospital, and to do so during moments that bring smiles to our patients’ faces despite the otherwise uncomfortable events. 
 

Spending time in a small room with strangers coming and going all day, experiencing blood tests and/or procedures does not seem like the greatest of days.  Imagine watching somebody pick marbles up with their toes or pick cotton balls up with their nose (covered in petroleum jelly).  Now that is funny!  You have heard it said, “Laugher is the Best Medicine”.