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A little man covered in tattoos jumped up. He was wearing big white sunglasses, though I’m not sure why. He was also using a cane and his foot was bandaged up. Hanging off either side of him were who I assumed to be Chloe and Caylee. He hobbled his way near the scales.

The girls were adorable, but they were dressed pretty crazy. Chloe was wearing a black skirt with neon green tights that had tiny black skulls on them. Where do you even buy those for children? She had on a yellow shirt that said “Rockstar” on the front. Caylee was wearing black jeans with a white shirt and a hot pink skull on it. Her skull had a bow on its head. They all had black nailpolish on. Even Mr. Mclean. He must have noticed me looking at their outfits.

“I know, they’re dressed pretty crazy. But I let them pick out their outfits. I figure as long as they’re appropriate, who am I to say how they should express themselces?”

I nodded. “Alright dad, let’s get the girls’ shoes off so we can get their heights and weights.

“Sure. Girls you’re gonna have to help me and take your shoes off. You know daddy can’t bend over with this cane.” I bent down and helped the girls.

“You’ll never guess how I hurt my foot. Seriously, it’s embarrassing.”

I guess he felt the need to explain. I’m sure I couldn’t guess. This little man looked wild. Who knows what he was doing.

“No idea, and I don’t think I can take a guess,” I chuckled. Now I was curious.

“Well, you know how the circus was in town about a week ago? My best friend had gotten us tickets so I can take the girls.” Well there I go judging. He was with his daughters.

“After the show, the entertainers were just wandering around and well, I’m a little scared of clowns.” This is gonna be funny.

“Daddy is really scared of clowns! We’re not sure why though. We tell him they’re just people dressed up.” Both girls were giggling now. I was laughing out loud as well, but I was also trying to keep track of which girl was which on the scale.

“Wait, are you Chloe or Caylee?”

“That’s Chloe. She’s a tiny bit shorter than Caylee,” Mr. Mclean simply stated.

They looked the same to me. I put a tiny note on their sheet. Next to Chloe it simply said “skirt.” I always did this because it gets really hard to keep them straight, especially if they’re dressed alike. Can you believe I had a mom in here once that couldn’t tell the kids apart? We literally had to guess. She said that her husband was the only one that could tell them apart.

I was suddenly snapped out of my thoughts with Mr. Mclean’s gruff voice. “Well anyway. I started running like crazy when one of the scariest clowns I’ve ever seen started jogging towards us. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and I tripped on a sticky candy apple that had made its way on the ground. I fell and sprained my ankle. Can you freakin believe it? Who sprains their ankle running from a clown in front of their daughters? Me, that’s who. Told you that you wouldn’t believe it.”

By this point I couldn’t stop laughing. Mr. Mclean here was quite the character!

After we were done with all the measurements, we went to the office and sat down. I introduced myself to the family as he reached out his hand for a shake.

“I’m Alex.”

As I started putting in the girls’ weights, I noticed that Chloe hadn’t gained any weight in the past six months. That put her low on the charts and underweight. This visit just became high risk.

“So Alex, how are the girls doing?”

He glanced at them hesitantly. They were actually very well behaved. I could tell he really wanted to talk but needed a distraction. I pulled out some color sheets as well as some crayons that I reserved for the very well behaved children. The last thing I needed was crayon drawings all over the walls. I could just hear Judy yapping in my ear already.

I handed them over, and they seemed satisfied for the moment then I looked back at Alex.

“Chloe hasn’t gained weight recently. How are her eating habits?”

“Well honestly sir, the girls have been going through a lot of stuff at home. Their mom was well…” He looked back at the girls and then back at me. They were chattering loudly and coloring their interpretations of whatever Disney princess was on the page.

He started talking in a near whisper. “Their mom is in jail. She was busted on drug charges. She’s got a really bad drug habit and has had one for some time now. But we weren’t together and I didn’t realize it. She had full custody, while I was fighting for them. And now they’re all mine thank God.” He looked over at the girls with a small smile.

“I hate to think of the stuff they were going through while living with her. We’re still adjusting, but I’m trying the best that I can.”

I looked in his eyes as they welled up. I passed a tissue. I felt for this single dad. He really did seem like a good dad that was trying to be there for his girls.

I was trying to stay professional. I have a habit of getting a little emotional at times. It can actually be quite embarrassing.

“Well Alex, it’s common for children to change their eating habits when there are changes at home. You just want to reassure them that things will be ok. Offer three meals and two to three snacks daily. Make them good healthy snacks like cheese and crackers, apples and peanut butter, or yogurt and graham crackers. Stay clear of junk food. That’ll fill them up but not give them a lot of nutritional value.”

He nodded.

“Also, they’re both drinking a lot of juice. We want to only offer about 6 ounces a day.”

I pulled out a little cup that was labeled so that he can see how big that was. “Children love to drink all day. When they do, they’ll get full and not want to eat. If it’s juice, the sugars tend to cut their appetite as well.”

His face expressed understanding.

“Where are the girls during the day?”

“They stay with my mom. She’s really been a blessing. I work during the day and then I come home, and she works on the weekends. I guess I didn’t realize how much all of this would affect even their eating habits.”

I gave him some handouts and some healthy snack ideas. We also talked about the importance of family meals for stability. We came up with a couple of goals together. The girls will probably be starting preschool soon, but they’ll be in for another visit before then.

I think he left my office with a little more hope than when he entered. He truly seemed like a great guy though. I put an alert in the computer for them to visit with me at the next appointment. I couldn’t wait to follow up.

It always amazes me when I meet people like Mr. Mclean. When he walked in, I would have never thought that he was going through the tribulations that his family is experiencing. It just goes to show what a good attitude will do to a person.

Seems like I can learn a things or two from Mr. Mclean.