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A tale of two parents (and one injured child)

Jordan got hurt at recess on Friday. I got a call from the secretary, who said as much. When I asked if I should come to get her (I assumed that was why she was calling), B said probably not, but that Jordan was just scared and needed to be reassured. Part of me thought, if she is not that hurt that I don't need to get her, why must I make the 30-minute round trip just to give her a hug? But the secretary did use the word blood.

I had had a busy morning, having spent almost two hours filling out an online application. For the record I have no idea how many years of experience I have with WordPerfect, mostly because I am pretty sure it has been years since I used that program. And I also had no idea how to answer my experience with PowerPoint. I have used it. I feel comfortable with it. But it is not as if I have spent X number of years creating programs. But I digress.

So I show up at school, see my kid with a cold pack on her lip, crying. The teacher on duty (no nurse at a small Catholic school, mind you) tells me that Jordan "might need a little stitch." No mother wants to hear that, but more importantly, that phrase will freak out my kid. Her lip was swollen and the inside was purple and cut, not a pretty sight. But after she ran into a storage bin when she was two and pretty much had a divot in her lip, this seemed not as bad.(She healed nicely, on her own, from that trauma.)

Once we got home, as bad as it looked, she was not in any pain and it had stopped bleeding. I was pretty sure you can't stitch the inside of the lip. Or at least you should not. I was there for the staples in her head two and a half years ago. So we dealt.

Though hubby not as well. He wanted names! He has never done playground duty, so he has no idea how rough these kids can be. And they have recess on asphalt, for the love of Pete. But apparently Jordan ran into someone. No, make that walked into someone. She has no idea who, which is amazing when you look at her lip, still a little swollen over 48 hours later, accompanied by a bruise. I mean how is it that a kid did not feel some part of his or her body running into my kid's lip when it looks that bad? And how Jordan could walk into someone and not see who is beyond me.

I think she will be okay. Brian is sure he is going to have nightmares about this, because we were not there to protect her.

The reality is we won't always be there.
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Comments

Mel said…
I'm glad stitches were not necessary. And yes, kids can be amazingly rough, or simply unobservant (where they walk into each other, swing into each other, step on each other's heads...) It's a horrible moment when you get a call like that, though. Poor J. It'll heal, but still--not fun.
September 19, 2010 at 9:45 PM
Sherri said…
My Olivia had an a little accident a number of years ago - she and another student tussled over a pair of scissors, and this other girl (our friend and neighbor) closed the scissors as Olivia grabbed, and... well - padded part of finger - um... partially cut off. When I got there, they were trying to butterfly it. I knew it was just going to be pressure - cleaning, and.... to appease everyone, went to the doctor's office - where they said she actually did need a tetanus booster. So... long story short - she lived - I did not panic (like you), and... my hubby said - "so, let me get this straight - idiot #1 shut the scissors and idiot #2 put her finger in there?" So much for panic and sympathy ;-). A year or so later, I had one my now 4 year old, and.... this pediatrician, who knows me well, stayed to chat a bit while a friend was visiting, and... I just had to introduce her as the "cutters mom - remember?" :-).
September 20, 2010 at 6:34 AM
Facie said…
Thanks for the comments. And for the record, she might have needed stitches; we did not take her to the doctor to find out. She does have her checkup on Saturday. Of course it will be too late by then, but I will feel better when her reg doc looks at her.

Sherri, Brian must be the most overprotective parent out there. Top 3 percent anyway. But the fact that he did not think she needed to see the doc made me think we were probably okay. He usually pushes for that when some little things seems awry.
September 20, 2010 at 10:30 AM
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