flash forward to last night...
For our "family night" activity we chose to go to a local splash park which also has a pickle ball court. For those of you unfamiliar with pickle ball you may want to ask WikiAnswers all about it... or save yourself the time and imagine playing ping-pong while standing ON the table... only the table IS a little bigger and a little more stable... and the paddles and the balls... oh forget it - just look it up okay! (I'd link it up... but turns out that I need to send an e-mail to my Wiki-Sister because their answer is lame with a capital LA.
BUT - now that we're past the confusion - my littlest girl (M) was having a great time running from the splash pad to the pickleball court and showing us the prints her wet self could make on the court surface. We had discouraged this a few times... mostly because we were actually playing pickleball and feared for her safety.
No need - she was plenty safe on the court. Turns out the danger was lurking in the travel between the two places. One faceplant later my little M had bloodied her lip, teeth, nose and forehead. I did not actually SEE her go down, but everyone within a mile radius HEARD the aftermath.
After determining that she was not severely concussed and assuring her that no, despite what it felt like, her brains were NOT going to fall out - we went home. That few miles felt like a trip across the ocean to any sibs that were blessed to sit by her. I buried my nose in a book (hey, don't judge - I was almost at the end... and reading IS my coping mechanism... oh, and humor... but laughing made her nose hurt)
An Otter Pop helped the swelling in her mouth... and Pumpkin Pie apparently helped the rest of it because I got her into pajamas, teeth brushed, and into bed without too many crying jags...
But this morning? Well, first you must envision that the skin on her nose was scraped up pretty thoroughly. The healing looks worse than the scraping though - and a scab covered nose may not matter to her mom (who thinks she's beautiful anyway) but it matters to a six year old. She didn't even look in the mirror before announcing that she WAS. NOT. GOING. TO. SCHOOL. in her determined "I am the boss of the world" six year old voice. (just trust me, it's pretty scary!)
Bribes of Mom walking her to class? didn't budge. Suggestions that she tell stories about how bad off the other guy looks? didn't even get a smile. Promises that I'd pick her up after school for the library? not even tempting. Threats that she'd have to spend the day with the "sick" rules (no TV/computer, etc...)? okay, she didn't like these - but she still wanted to stay home.
I had to lay down the law... she was going to school one way or the other. I nearly cried when she asked for a pinky promise that nobody would laugh at her.
Oh honey, how I wish....
I made her a pinky promise that she would be brave enough to deal with it - and then said a silent prayer for her wishes to come true... love ya my brave girl!
She got on the bus. Without tears...
...and then I swore on my dirty laundry that if any little brat hurts my angel today I'm going in to that school and Whup some little first grade Heinie. (and then I retracted the aforementioned statement because it might get me in some legal trouble if something were to accidentally happen)
21 comments:
Dang. I was thinking she was young enough to still think war wounds were a badge of honor.
Hey, and she's got enough older brothers to do they kickin' of the heinies if needs be. Just put it on their chore lists.
Poor thing! The only day I ever missed in first grade was after a nasty playground accident that left my poor nose, chin and mouth red and raw. Please don't let her pick the scabs! You don't want her future 13 year old self to be subject to plastic surgery to take care of the scars!!!
She could wear the scabs like a badge of honor!
Off to Google Pickleball.
Ooooohhhh, and NOTHING looks worse or scabs darker than a skinned anything~most especially nose. My daughter crashed on her bike the night before her baptism. There isn't ONE. SINGLE. PICTURE. of her smiling. Her lips are swollen and eyes are red from the weeping. Not a pretty sight. I would have home schooled if it were me, but then, I'm a better mom than you. BWAHAHAHAHA! (joke)
Oh my! She is so pretty to be laughed at! I cannot wait to hear how things went...
I think she deserves all of the above after braving going to school!
First stop, Ice cream!
for the official record - one little girl DID dare to laugh... I think I'm going to go leave hate comments on her mommy's blog :) (okay, okay... I would never be a hate commenter... how about a burning bag of doggy doo?)
The poor babe! My youngest wiped out last year and it looked SO much worse the next day too! As a teacher? I'd let anyone I heard making fun of her have it good.
That sounds brutal! Poor kid. I do hope that the healing is quick for her sake.
In the mean time, I really have to start using the word "concussed" more often.
ooohhhhh... my heart just wept for her.
Brave girl... I"d have wanted to stay home also.
Good teaching moment girl... I'd probably have caved.
Poor baby! May the healing be speedy, and the teasing be minimal. Tell all those big brothers to be on the lookout for meanies--why else does a little girl have big brothers?!
Oh, no! Her first Pickleball related injury and she wasn't even playing! Hopefully she will still learn to love the game when she gets older.
Respectfully,
Jennifer
Northern Illinois Pickleball
www.northernillinoispickleball.com
Oh, I'm so sad for her, ouch. I hope it was better today. And when did you get those big teenage boys? (I still sorta think of you as a teenager myself...)
Oh no..Ugh. Poor girl.
She did look awfully cute for the first day of school...
:))
You got a cute FAM.
:)
Hope no one teases her...for their sake...YIKES! Flaming bags of poo??!! LOL.
Love ya T.
Hope it wasn't my little girl that dared laugh!! I can't believe you didn't even post a pic of the aftermath.. It did look like it hurt pretty bad when I saw her today!
oh it wasn't sweet A that laughed... and seriously - I told the mom (starts with C - ends with Y) that I was kidding about the dog poo thing - it was a gut reaction laugh... I won't really whup her little first grade behind... as long as she followed M around all day doing her every bidding.
oh - and I didn't dare take a picture... I'm SURE that would have set off a crying jag - maybe tonight I'll sneak one at scouts?
Pinkie promise that nobody would laugh...awwww....heart breaking a wee bit there...
Your children are beautiful. Do love the windblown look on the oldest! Hurricane season at your end?
Dang! No fun, especially during the first week of school. My baby started kindergarten, and on her first day, a little girl showed up in a similar condition (you haven't moved to Oregon, have you?). My sweet girl was all kindness and compassion, and asked the girl if she was all right and if she needed a bandaid, and this other girl hauled back and pushed Sophie right down, saying, "I don't need nothin' from nobody!" Sophie was the one who ended up in the nurse's room that day, but I gather that this sort of condition was not new to this other little girl. She wore her scabs proudly, like war wounds!
Oh, bless her heart! My little boy has asked me several times "Will anyone laugh at me?" Not if they don't want your mom breathing down their neck they won't! I hope she has a good day! She is brave to go to school like that. I am also impressed you had pumpkin pie? Yum! Save some for me :)
Not me. I would have taken my darling little daughter to one of those medical walk-in-clinics to have her injuries checked, get the medications that may be required, and see if a follow-up visit to her regular doctor is required. The next day I would call her school and tell them my little darling had an accident and will not be attending school. I would keep her out of school for at least one day. OK I'm not a Mom because it appears most are Moms. I'm a Father.
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