DD is 3. She has previously had three Covid tests at drive-in centres. The first two went absolutely fine - no drama at all and done on the first attempt.
The third test they'd changed the swab and more of the stick is swab and it looks rougher than the original sticks. She let me do that but found it unpleasant.
Cue today when she woke up with a temperature and I booked a test for this morning. She just wouldn't let me do it - I tried everything (making light of it, bribery, 'come on, let's just get it done', explaining that if we don't do it we can't leave the house for 14 days etc.). Eventually the swab touched other stuff that it's not supposed to so we had to give up and come home.
We got home, had a big cuddle and a chat and we agreed we should do it again. Booked another test for this afternoon and exactly the same story - she just will not let me do it and I can't physically manage holding her hands out of the way, her head in a position that makes it possible and performing the swab, not to mention that it's fucking horrendous to be doing this. In desperation I then stupidly made the threat of taking her favourite toys away so we've just got home and I've removed them but I'm pretty sure this isn't the right way about it.
I'm just at absolute rock bottom. I feel like a shit parent for not being able to persuade my 3 year old to do it, an ineffective parent, a bitch for trying to force her, terrible for wasting test resources, terrible for my bubble friend who we're going to have to let down and not see and absolutely awful for DD. We are both really really upset.
My only thought to avoid 14 days isolation is to order a home test and do it in the night and hopefully DD won't remember in the morning.
This is just awful.