Boys Will Be Boys....R2F2 gets stitches

ready2fly · July 18th, 2006, 13:52

So, we had just finished a nice dinner with my buddy from training and decided to go "window shop" at "Outdoor World (a/k/a Bass Pro Shop)"

As some of you know, it's been hotter'n Hell here in Tejas, and Saturday was no different. Along with the heat, we've had beautiful clear blue skies...which means it's been BRIGHT as all get out too.

Because of that, R2F2 had his sunglasses on as we transitioned from the parking lot to the entrance (plus, he looked cool

).

We entered the front "parlor" and he squirmed to be let down saying "whoooooa!!!!" (If you've never been inside this place, it's GIMOUNGOUS!!)

So, I let him down, and with my wife in trail, he took off down the middle isle while Daddy went to get a buggy.

The next thing I heard was my wife screaming "NO!...NO!...... GOD NO! HELP!!"

(still sends chills up my spine)

I turned around to see her literally running with him in her arms and blood pouring down his face. He had fallen and hit his head on the floor...sunglasses first, and they had gashed his head pretty good.

Flash-forward two hours and my boy now has 7 stitches. 2 on the inside (this thing was DEEP) and five on the outside.

Needless to say, the sunglasses went bye-bye on Monday's trash pick-up.

We were very fortunate that they did not break and go into his eyes. We've both replayed the whole event over and over in our heads and thought about all the "what if's" (What if we hadn't let him keep his sunglasses on. What if we had not let him down. What if we had just gone home.....and so forth).

But, it's just one of those growing pains of parenthood/childhood. Lesson learned.... the hard way.

On his behalf - he's as right as rain. Doesn't even act like anything happened.

My wife and I? = Still having nightmares.

Ahhhh.... parenthood.

R2F

SIUAv8r · July 18th, 2006, 14:13

Glad your boy is OK! Im sure it was a scary moment!

flyover · July 18th, 2006, 14:19

Having raised 3 boys and a girl I can tell you that trying to anticipate every hazard or second-guessing every "mistake" is a waste of time and energy. Relax and enjoy him. I'm not even sure it's possible to raise a boy without stitches.

SteveC · July 18th, 2006, 14:26

I pulled one sort of like that on my folks. I was around four years old, and we were at a car lot. I went running full speed around the building and discovered that the bottom corner of an electrical junction box was at the same AGL as my forehead. BAM! Down! Blood! Stitches!

Scalp wounds bleed a little. [/understatement]

P.S., I'm willing to wager that your wife's screams scared R2F2 more than the blood and pain did.

MQAAord · July 18th, 2006, 14:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyover

Having raised 3 boys and a girl I can tell you that trying to anticipate every hazard or second-guessing every "mistake" is a waste of time and energy. Relax and enjoy him. I'm not even sure it's possible to raise a boy without stitches.

For once I agree with Flyover! Word for word, he's right on. (Well, I guess I wouldn't know about the three boys and a girl part, since I've only got two boys....) But, seriously, there's just no possible way to predict and/or prevent every way a child can hurt themselves! You do the best you can, and clean up the messes & take 'em to the doc when things go wrong.

We've been fortunant not to have to make the emergency room visit yet with either of them (knock on wood), but we've certainly had our share of scrapes, bumps & MANY bruises!

flyover · July 18th, 2006, 16:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by MQAAord

For once I agree with Flyover!

Woo hoo. I got this and a "yeah that" on another thread today. That's it, I'm out of here. Thanks for coming and be careful driving home.

ready2fly · July 18th, 2006, 16:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyover

Having raised 3 boys and a girl I can tell you that trying to anticipate every hazard or second-guessing every "mistake" is a waste of time and energy. Relax and enjoy him. I'm not even sure it's possible to raise a boy without stitches.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mqaaord

But, seriously, there's just no possible way to predict and/or prevent every way a child can hurt themselves! You do the best you can, and clean up the messes & take 'em to the doc when things go wrong.

Thanks ya'll! And believe me - we know this.... just that when your first child...at 1.5 yrs old....does something like this....it's a momentous "first" that scares the livin' crap out of you.

Heck - he's my boy.....if he inherited even a smidgin' of my childhood wrecklessness....we'll get used to it.... quick!

aloft · July 18th, 2006, 17:50

Make your kid wear a helmet everywhere.

Just messin'. Shrug it off, it's stuff like this that'll make a man out of him. Besides, chicks dig scars.

jtrain609 · July 18th, 2006, 18:31

Well you see Stan, from a stastical perspective this HAS to happen. If you take the surface area of that huge head of his, and divide it by the number of steps he runs compared to the normal kid you'd see that he's screwed from a genetic standpoint because of that huge head!

Glad he's doing cool bro, but he's really got nothing on me. My parents called pioson control three times in three weeks on me once. Ask me about that one sometime, they almost had DSS called on me!

Windchill · July 18th, 2006, 18:36

I did my share to scare my parents, and Raymond is/and will continue to to scare us as well. Isn't it amazing how quickly they get over what happened and go on as though it didn't?

FlyChicaga · July 18th, 2006, 21:13

Ha, first injury! My girlfriend's boy (I guess "our" boy now) had an accident bowling a few weeks ago that also resulted in his first stitches. I was out hiking in St. John's, New Foundland with my cell phone off during the whole ordeal. About three hours later I turned it back on to immediately recieve a, "Where the heck have you been?" call from the lady. I'm like, "Uh, hiking?" She explained what happened all upset, and I just say, "Uh, and?" She was just being Mom... freakin' out at the cut. I told her, ya know, boys will be boys and all. Expect worse, especially if I get my wish and he plays hockey and baseball.

Five stitches later, he wanted to get back to the lanes to bowl some more. There ya go, my little man!

I realized very early that you can't protect kids from everything. They need to fall down and get bumped up sometimes so they can learn how to pick themselves up and carry on. Boys will be boys...

JEP · July 18th, 2006, 22:10

and my story..................

One week after taking off the training wheels, AJ decides he can turn real sharp......then I got the phone call at work.............He did a face plant while turning and went over the handle bars. Good thing for the helmet, He lost two teeth and had stitches inside and out, but he learned not to turn so sharp next time.

Liek they all have said, boys will be boys........and hopefully they learn....Don't beat yourself up. I remember those times.

C650CPT · July 20th, 2006, 13:15

Hey Stan
I've been meaning to teach your kid "Daddy hurts me".

I'm joking ...

One thing to keep in mind is that head wounds (cuts) bleed like crazy ... but are usually not as bad as they look ... try telling that to your wife.

If it makes you feel any better this was me:

Two weeks ago my 14 yr old comes home from work not feeling too well. I get home and tell him to go up to his room as I can't afford to "catch" whatever he has. He moans all throught the night can't keep any thing down or in ... I tells him to cowboy up, it's just indigestion and the flu. Well about 3:30am he wakes up in terrible pain ... yup ... appendicites (sp?). I felt soooo bad not being sympathetic.

Jim