For the past week, Kate has had four stitches in her knee. She got them after she fell on some rocks while we were on a walk (if you read my post from May 12, you'll understand). It wasn't a very deep cut, but since it was on her knee, the doctor wanted to stitch it up to keep it closed while it healed. The words "stitches", "hurts", "band-aid", and "doctor" have now become everyday words in her expanding vocabulary.
James took Kate to get her stitches out yesterday. The nurse taped the stitches to a tongue depressor and wrote Kate's name and the date on the back and gave it to James to keep. I am not a very sentimental person, and I never would have thought of keeping stitches! But, we have them (at least for now) in a keepsake box with other odds and ends. The nurse informed James that there is also a Stitches-Fairy who takes the stitches and leaves money in a Tooth-Fairy fashion, but they decided Kate was a little young for such a ploy. I wonder what genius, accident-prone kid (or parent of one) thought up that one.
I've always been sort of proud that I'm not one of those first-time mothers who freaks out about every little potential hazard my child goes near. But this incident made me think that maybe I don't freak out enough and I should be more protective (not that I was letting Kate run free on a bed of rocks - I was trying to stop her, but she thought it was a game...). I don't know. Parenting is hard. And I'm just beginning. Maybe she will learn from this like she learned not to push away from the table with her feet (When she's finished with a meal, she now says "bonk head" and rubs her head as she remembers falling backward in her chair). Life is full of tough lessons.
2 comments:
Take it from me, stiches are no big deal. If I had a nickel for every taxi or bunk bed I've fallen out of I'd... well, I'd only have 10 cents but that's not the point. If Mom had freaked out about every little thing with me, she'd have been a nurvous wreck... Wait a second... ;)
It's good to feel a little pain every once in a while. It reminds us of how fragile we are, and that we're not really invincible. I think Kate will definitely learn from this experience. It's amazing how smart kids are (author not included), and how much they pick up (for the most part). Way more than most people realize, I think.
I recall MANY adventures with stitches involving Craig, and one ugly one with Carrie. The only one I remember involving Angela put an exclamation point on her belly! Only Craig would say "it's good to feel pain every once in awhile". Me, I'd rather my children and grandchildren not experience pain!!
Happy parenting!!!
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