The Trials of Parenting

Trauma. Urgent Care. Emergency Room. ICU. One of the hardest parts of being a parent is watching your child in pain. It's something we all have to go through. With some children you just have to grit your teeth and wait for the next crisis to happen. (See yesterday's post for full photo.)

The Princess broke her little finger a week ago after pulling over a piece of furniture on top of her She cried for a few minutes and that was it. Not a whimper was heard from her in the 8 hours we spent together on Grandma Wednesday. Yes, the hand was swollen and bruised, but otherwise no outward symptoms. She grasped toys, ate, played, all of the normal things. So we were all very surprised when she ended up with an orthopedist and a pretty pink cast yesterday. She took it all in stride but Mom and Dad had a much tougher time.

Seeing that tiny little arm in a cast made me think back to the times that I've spent in the ER or an orthopedist's office with kids or grandchildren. Athena really didn't have any injuries serious enough for treatment. Her tricks were high fevers. The photo above was taken in 1976 when she wanted an eye patch like mine after I required one for a few days.

Mr. Eris, Jr. split his lip open at age two. Within two days after the surgery he had picked out all of the stitches requiring another trip into the OR. This time his arms were both splinted for two weeks. Athena thought it was lots of fun to hand him a sucker and watch his expression as he tried to figure out how to get it to his mouth.

Littlest Ms. Eris enjoyed physical therapy by the time she was three months old for a twisted neck due to other health problems. For months the mantra was "Twist right, tilt left". Or was it "Twist left, tilt right"? She also had a cat scan at one year after bumping her head pretty hard. Bubba has had a few visits to the OR, the most exciting one when he broke his arm in two places in 2005. The best thing about this one was that it was all caught on video. You could even hear the bones break and see him as he stood up and held his broken arm up with the other hand. That video is creepy and will draw instant tears (and nausea) when viewed. And we mustn't forget Christmas 2006 when he decided to get his appendix out before he even had a chance to open his presents!

Eris, well, she has provided many opportunities for ER copays starting at age three with a broken leg while skiing. Other knee injuries and broken bones were a common occurrence. With her new found love of running and biking I am expecting more.

Jubee and Little Ms. have been relatively boring in the trauma department. That's nice. Keep it up girls!

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