Sentimental - ABSOLUTELY! Sympathetic - NOT SO MUCH!

When it comes to my children, I am a complete sap. I love every little thing they make for me, starting with their first scribbles as toddlers. I have saved so many of their things, that I have bins and folders and tubs all over the place. They have me wrapped around their little fingers but especially when they write me a story or draw me a picture or make me a robot out of tin foil (Cal's). I ABSOLUTELY love it. My children are really extremely creative, and so I really do have a lot of cool stuff. I am also soooo sentimental when it comes to their little baby things: outfits, shoes, blankets, etc. I LOVE it so much! I have saved every single card that they have ever received from family, friends, teachers, anyone for any occasion. They each have their own storage box with every single card (okay maybe lost a few over the years). I have also saved every single card they have ever made for me or their daddy. Yes, it's a little nuts and a little chaotic; but it's organized chaos. I can't bear to part with it. I have tape recordings of them singing songs, video tapes of them doing all sorts of cute things (I definitely have at least one grand prize winner for America's Funniest Home Videos) and literally thousands and thousands of photographs: some in scrapbooks and many that are filed neatly away. I LOVE it so much. I'm a sappy mom.
BUT.... when it comes to being sympathetic....not so much! My key phrase (which I have become very well known for) is "SUCK IT UP....YOU'RE FINE"! Out of my five children, 3 have had broken bones and 2 have had stitches or staples. Three have had surgery of some sort (mainly tonsilectomy, tubes, adenoids). Two have fallen completely down a flight of stairs. Three have had some appendage shut in the car door, and one has been on fire (I'm talking flames shooting off of her head). One has had mono (no not from kissing), two have had pnemonia, two have been in the ER from dehydration. One is severely asthmatic and has spent many a day in the pediatricians office receiving oxygen until her lips turned from blue to pink again. Then there are the more "typical" injuries: falling off the bike, tripping over a bump in the sidewalk, falling out of the tree, etc. Through most of these injuries, I have remained completely calm and will use my key phrase "SUCK IT UP...YOU'RE FINE". BUT...if I think a fatality could result from an injury, I metamorph into a completely different person. I lose all control and composure and flail around like a wild woman all the while screaming at the top of my lungs phrases that don't make any sense. Hey if your kid was on fire, wouldn't you?