I recently took my daughter to the doctor for a cold that just wouldn’t quit. Thank goodness for antibiotics.

Or so I thought.

She can’t swallow pills yet—or at least horse-sized ones—so we opted for the liquid.

White. Chalky. The kind you just have to swallow whole or choke down—a mere 6.1 ml—then chase with an entire glass of something else.

I thought it’d be easier. Boy, was I wrong.

You’d think I was asking her to donate a kidney. She is the QUEEN of dragging things out. If something should take 2 minutes, it’ll take her 10.

So imagine how long it takes to choke down medicine that tastes… let’s call it “chalky regret.”

Last night at dinner, it was like a frat party: my husband and son pounding the table, chanting, “CHUG, CHUG, CHUG!”

The shortest it’s ever taken? 5 minutes. The longest? 30.

I Googled: “At what point do children realize that doing the thing quickly gets it over with faster than complaining endlessly?”

Answer: Not soon enough.

We have 15 more doses to go this week. Someone send help. Or a helmet. Or maybe just more alcohol for the parents.

What’s the tiniest medicine your kid has ever made a mountain out of? Share your survival stories below—I need to know I’m not alone!