“Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!”

It was 3 a.m.

My just-turned-10-year-old was shaking and crying in my bed beside me.

Her ears were hurting.

BAD.

Even after a trip to the pediatrician.

Drops.

And some acetaminophen.

For the swimmer’s ear infection she was experiencing.

She couldn’t get comfortable.

It was as if she was a woman in labor, experiencing contractions.

The pain came in waves.

If you’ve ever held a child through intense pain,

Wished you could absorb it and take it from them,

Felt the weight of sleep deprivation,

And showed back up at the doctor the morning after,

Then you know my plight.

Apparently she had some mucus and debris in her outer ear canal keeping the drops from working well.

And the solution was either continuing the same approach and waiting through the pain…

Or having the doctor insert wicks.

They’re little compressed sponges that expand when you add drops and ensure that the medicine actually touches what it should.

Imagine your child walking around with foam earplugs.

It was still a rough day.

The process can only be accelerated so much and we’d not slept much the night before.

But we got a few more hours the next night and last night she didn’t wake up once.

I’m drafting this after a full night’s rest, and considering…

… how this can be related to newslettering:

Your subscriber is the child in pain, trying to get better but not experiencing success at a desired pace.

Can your newsletter be a wick?

Can you get them…

…the information they need

…the strategies they should try

…and the best advice

…faster than going it alone?

Evaluate your next issue.

Will it help your reader bypass pain?

Will it help them sleep through the night?

New motto: Be wicked good.

Ashley Guttuso