Generational Pediatrics

One of the satisfying things about being a pediatrician is watching patients grow up to become adults. I have now been in pediatric practice long enough that some of my former patients bring their children to see me and I am becoming reacquainted with some mothers of patients from my early days who are now grandmothers of patients.

Several days ago I walked into a room to see a child I had not seen before. I said “Hello, I’m Dr. Sauder” and the grandmother who had brought the child replied “I know.” She then told me about her children who I had seen years ago. I find those interactions to be very meaningful and I think they are one of the best parts of what I do.

It has also become more apparent to me over the years how generational many of life’s circumstances are, both good and bad. There are always exceptions which prove the rule. But, in general, it does seem that, consistent with the old adage, the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree. However, I do know some apples from the same tree that did not land particularly close to each other and once in a while an apple ends up in a different orchard than the tree which produced it.

The “trees” in question help determine future socioeconomic status and educational opportunities as well as a multitude of values about how one lives life. It is abundantly clear that each child starts life with a different set of advantages and disadvantages relative to his peers. People certainly have responsibility for their own actions as they get older, but denying that the situation they were born into plays a large role in their development is simply not consistent with reality.

Seeing the next generation of children in a family is fun for me. But knowing the family also helps me understand better how they see the world, what their strengths may be, what things they may need help with, and how I can best help them stay healthy. And it always makes me smile to hear someone say to a child “Did you know he used to be Daddy’s doctor too?”