In a message dated 99-01-05 20:46:51 EST, Wendy asks:

<< What do you, as mothers feel? Would you let a child refuse its medication
under these circumstances?  >>

No way Jose, as my five year old would say.    I would encourage her to
express her dismay, I would reward her for downing her medicine without a
tantrum, I would kiss and cuddle her until the cows come home, but if push
came to shove -- or rather when push comes to shove, as my eldest hates
medication of any kind but is prone to needing it alas -- I have lovingly
forced open those little lips and poured the nasty stuff down their sweet
little throats.    Medicine is not candy, you're taking it to make you get
better from or prevent some nasty illness, period.   And the reverse is
equally true -- just because it is the nice banana kind doesn't mean you can
have an extra teaspoon full if you want it (I have one of those kind of kids,
too--).

That said, I have also reminded my pediatrician that one real consideration in
which a/b to prescribe is how compliant it is possible to get the kid to be in
taking it.   If they spit out half the dose, what is a mother to do, give more
or not?    If you don't know enough about which germ you're dealing with to
know which is the perfect drug, you can probably speculate at least in the
first instance that the one that is easier to get down the hatch may work
best.

Elisheva Urbas in NYC