White Rabbit
Jefferson Airplane
When I was small my parents provided us with daily vitamins. I'm not sure if they intentionally sourced these out for us or, my father, being a physician, brought them home from the office each month. Regardless, I took the vitamins dutifully, for no reason other than I was asked to do so. Besides, rejecting the vitamins and trying to convince a medically trained mother and father that you knew more about the human body's needs than them was pointless.
The vitamins that entered our home came in one size and type - large, dry, horse size pills. Probably beige in colour with chalky flavour and hard edges. I may have had to choke down the first few of these but eventually learned the knack of letting them float down my throat with a good swig of water. I remember a few that may have gotten 'stuck' and needed a bit of extra dousing but then more water is never a bad thing.
Little did I know at the time that this early training forced upon me as a child would be to my benefit in my later years. Forget the one dry pill a day, not only have my years multiplied but also the daily pill count. I now toss down 7 pills on a daily basis. Two to manage different chronic medical conditions, 1 to manage hormone levels to keep a past medical issue at bay, 2 to keep my aging immune system strong, 1 because my sister said it was a good thing to do based on her discussions with a family friend who lived a healthy long life and finally a multivitamin as a catchall - just in case (or, if you are a fan of Love Actually than it's 'just in cases'). Sadly, no pill to make me taller nor one to make me smaller in areas I might desire. And yes, I can slog down these 7 wonder pills with one gulp of water - no gagging.
Recently as I watched my late teen, early twenties kids fall to colds and flu somewhat aggravated by poor eating and sleeping habits I supplied them with a bottle of daily vitamins. They were all quite amenable to the idea probably because I was footing the bill and delivering to their bedrooms. Despite the fact that these kids can quite skillfully snarf down large handfuls of a cake, chips or fries in one gulp they seem to struggle with the thought of one small, smooth-edged pill a day. My long diatribes about the 7 wonder pills has not boosted their confidence in their ability to negotiate this small lump down their throat but rather further added to their library of stories of how odd and unusual their mother might be. One child is convinced it is not a possibility to manage the task and I've had to resort to supplying her with sugary, fruit shaped chewables.
So were are now a family of vitamin takers, hopefully warding off the evils of viruses, iron deficiency and building muscle and strong immune systems. We are also likely a family peeing a large quantity of nutrients into our water system. There may be arguments against all this excessive dumping but it's probably better than letting our systems deteriorate and having to pump up with medicines.
In a small way I also consider this a long standing legacy from my parents to their grandkids. Had they been alive when my kids were born, I imagine my parents insisting they take vitamins (and keep their elbows off the table, hands away from their faces, blow their noses, etc).
Sometimes it's not about knowing all the science but just about trusting in the advice from our elders even if we might have to choke it back now and then.
