Is it morning already?

Oh, how I long for the days of lazy teenagers that sleep in weekend mornings.... Although, by then, I'll have a career that probably requires me to get up early on weekends as well.

 I guess it's not that bad. My little ones sleep until around 8ish, my oldest around 730. I mean, it COULD be worse... but I prefer to still complain about it. I went to bed at 130, which is my own fault, and I am exhausted!

Anyway, I wanted to talk about something specific. I have a few friends that are first time Moms. Ohhh first time Moms. You guys ROCK!! You are the reason that I love talking to people about kids. The passion, amazement and pure giddiness that you exude at the milestones of your kids lives is wonderful. Not that people with more than one child bore me, or don't care about their kids, it's just... different with that first baby. The ups are great! First tooth, first coo, first smile, first food, learning to crawl, walk, talk... SO AMAZING!

What people don't really think about are the first 'downs'. First cold, first emergency room visit... and the dreaded "first FALL".

Please don't be offended if I snicker a little when you run to me and say "OHMYGOD! Little Bobby and I were playing on the couch, and he fell off! He's got a HUGE goose egg on his head! I'm the worst parent in the world! IN THE WORLD!!!!!!"

No, you aren't. These people are.

First thing you need to know, is that kids are usually more resilient than you think they are. Second thing, kids will hurt themselves. All the time. Almost every day, especially after they learn to crawl. Especially if they are male. Trust me.

Owen had his first 'owie' at about 13 months old. I will always remember it. 

I knocked on the door of the daycare. After a couple of seconds, his daycare provider opens up the door just a crack. She quickly tells me 'not to worry', and that Owen just had 'a little accident'. He had been running, and he tripped on a toy, and hit his head on the rocking horse about 10 minutes before I had arrived. She opens the door, and I just know that my jaw dropped and I could feel my eyes swelling up with tears.

It was about a quarter of an inch long, above his left eyebrow. The skin had been broken, and there was quite a bit of bruising. I almost died.

"Mom!" He yelled, arms out, BIG smile on his beautiful yet disfigured face (Okay, that may be a little too harsh). He was fine... but I was not.

The daycare provider tried to make light of the situation. She hugged me, told me he was fine, and that he had even been laughing shortly afterward. I realized she was staring at me, waiting for some type of response. I hadn't spoken a word since I saw him. I opened my mouth to speak... Made some kid of "hummababmmmm" sound, and burst into tears.

Look at how upset HE is.

All I could think of was that it was my fault. If I had gotten there a little bit earlier, maybe it wouldn't have happened? What if I had just stayed home with him that day?

Owen still has a small scar above his eyebrow, and I frequently have to tell him that story because he loves it. Kids love hearing about themselves when they were 'babies'. To him, it's an adventure. What a boy.

Anyway, my point is, accidents happen. Children will climb on things, eat things, drop things, throw things, break things, open things, close things, squeeze things, bite things, hit things... They are learning. They will learn that when they drop a toy, Mom will probably pick it up. They will also learn that if they hit the wall, that it hits back. They are developing. You can't protect your child from everything. They need to learn what not to do, as well as what to do. Obviously you'll be upset about a bump, scratch, or bruise, but you don't need to feel like a sub-par parent. Soothe your child, put on a cold cloth or band-aid (whatever is required), and remember that the child came you to for help... and that's exactly what you did. Congrats, Mom. You made it through!

*NOTE:
If your child is bleeding excessively, seems disoriented, very sleepy or just 'not right', take them to an emergency room. Concussions are serious, and need to be handled accordingly. 

Concussion in Children