Any time CJ bumps his head or falls down creates an overwhelming feeling of guilt and I am almost positive that my name is being added to an imaginary book of the worst mothers in history. It's hard to ever accept that these things happen, even though I know these kinds of things happened to me as a child.
When I was just about a year old, I climbed up the stairs behind my mom and when I got to the top, she thought I was up there with her so she kept walking. Little did she know I had decided to try to sit up on the top step. Before she knew it, I was rolling down the 12 stairs I had just crawled up. Luckily I rolled like a barrel and ended up being fine, just a bit shaken. She probably ended up feeling way worse than I did because a kiss and a hug made it all better for me. For her, the guilt and thoughts of "what if" hounded her for hours and no words or actions could console her.
But without these moments, kids won't learn on their own. In the first incident, I don't know that I learned anything because I was so young, but the second one, I was about 7, so I learned to stand far away from the person who has the bat. Regardless, my mom sure felt like the worst mom in the world, much like I did the first time CJ decided he wanted his lip to meet the bedside table.
When I was just about a year old, I climbed up the stairs behind my mom and when I got to the top, she thought I was up there with her so she kept walking. Little did she know I had decided to try to sit up on the top step. Before she knew it, I was rolling down the 12 stairs I had just crawled up. Luckily I rolled like a barrel and ended up being fine, just a bit shaken. She probably ended up feeling way worse than I did because a kiss and a hug made it all better for me. For her, the guilt and thoughts of "what if" hounded her for hours and no words or actions could console her.
TIP: Once your little rugrat starts trekking around on hands and knees (or doing the worm like mine did in the beginning) put up those gates. You may think they can't crawl up the stairs yet and with the blink of an eye, they'll be pulling themselves up and testing the strength of your heart. Babies catch on quickly and move even faster.How about the time I ran inside from playing baseball with my brother and his friends...holding my head and crying? After deciphering what had happened through my sobs, my mom saw the egg-sized bump above my right eye. My brother had accidentally clobbered me in the head with an aluminum bat during his turn at the plate. It was actually my fault, as I was probably standing too close. But nonetheless, my mom did all she could to stop the initial pain and shock. And then she had to relive the moment of me sobbing in her arms each time I saw her until the lump and bruise disappeared over the next week. Even though it was out of her control, it's a mother's instinct to feel like she should be able to protect her children at all times.
But without these moments, kids won't learn on their own. In the first incident, I don't know that I learned anything because I was so young, but the second one, I was about 7, so I learned to stand far away from the person who has the bat. Regardless, my mom sure felt like the worst mom in the world, much like I did the first time CJ decided he wanted his lip to meet the bedside table.
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