There are certain noises which make most people cringe: nails on a chalk board, for instance. But as a parent, there is one noise that makes me close my eyes and hope when I re-open them I am not faced with a gruesome scene. I'm talking about the sound of flesh connecting with cement, usually a sidewalk.
There's really no way to describe it, but if you have ever raised a toddler, then there's a good chance you've heard the sound plenty of times. I try not to be an overprotective parent. Children should run, jump and, yes, fall down. But that sound... oh that sound. As soon as I hear a knee, palm or elbow scrape across the cement I want to run and hide. Inevitably there will be tears and most likely there will be blood.
I remember the first time one of my daughters skinned her knees. We were at a cookout and all four girls were running around with their cousins, having a grand ol' time. And then it happened... scraaaape.... waaaahhhh. Fortunately I had already stocked up on Care Bear bandages, so when we arrived home the girls without bloody knees were wishing they had been the one who had fallen.
Just a few weeks ago we were outside having a fun afternoon filled with sidewalk chalk and running around. Hubby had been doing some yard work and turned the sprinklers on, so of course everyone had to run through them. I turned my head away for a fraction of a second and then I heard it... scraaaape... waaaahhhh. I didn't want to look, but I knew I had to. Tortilla had fallen and now had two skinned knees.
My daughters believe every little "owie" requires a bandage. In their minds, even bruises need bandages. Sometimes I'll humor them, which is why we now have a medicine cabinet full of Dora, Snoopy, Tinkerbell and Disney Princess bandages. The good thing about this bandage obsession is that I can usually stop the flow of tears in a matter of seconds by promising them a bandage.
As much as I can't stand the sound of flesh on cement, I would much rather hear that over the sound of breaking bones. Hubby, even for the daredevil he was as a child, has never broken a bone. My sister and I, however, each broke our left arm when we were four-years-old. I'm fully prepared to have at least one broken bone in the bunch... but would rather deal with scraaaape.... waaaahhhh than a toddler in a cast.
12 comments:
Hi - stopping in from MoM's blog. Yes, that sound of thier hands slapping the concrete along with their knees.
I have heard this sound many times as a mom. The worst though would be when I was about 16 or 17 and my little sister was about 5. She had a hideous hoop skirt dress on that my mom thought was cute. She was walking down our church steps, tripped did a summerault and let me tell you I ran...but it felt like running through water to get to her. And I saw it and heard it at the same time. Her head met the concrete sidewalk. I'll spare you the details but she need stitches. I pray never to see that with my kids. UGH.
Sue-Sue had a moment similar to that... she tripped and, as though in slow motion, her head connected with the sidewalk... sounded like a bowling ball being dropped. Fortunately she didn't need stitches.
Oh, that sound! I got the heebie jeebies just reading your post.
I really do freak out at the sight of blood. And already this season Corbin fell twice from the deck stair and bit his lip open. Blood. Everywhere.
I freak out about blood... unless it's my daughters'. For some reason I have that "mom instinct" where I can see their "owies" and stay calm. But that sound... ack!
I'm not freaked by blood or scrapes. I hate that my children hurt and my daughter was 100% bandaids cure everything (until she got shingles).
It's the misery of my children that hurts me, when I can't fix it, that really tears me up.
Fortunately, I come from hardy stock. I've only broken two bones, both during belt tests in Tai Kwon Do (don't ask) and my husband and children have all been break free to date.
It's the crocodile tears and hyperventilating that get me every time. When they're hurt my girls cling to my neck as though they're never going to let go.
I know exactly what you mean. As a mom, I found two sounds terrifying. 1. SCREAMING and 2. complete silence (means they can only be up to no good!).
Yes, Valerie, you hit the nail on the head. Screaming is terrifying, but so is silence when you're not in the room!
My son are into that stage now, messing up a lot of things and not answering us when we called him. Sometimes I just got shock how did he get bruises or why his skin has blood. But like you said we can't avoid that especially for toddlers. They are prone to a lot of accidents.
Oh gosh, that's the worst. For me it's a "clunk" every day, followed by a piercing scream. I would love to get through a day without one of my daughters smacking their head, arm, knee on something. But it will never happen.
I hate that sound too. I remember my daughter had made it to 18 months without a single scrape, and then in the single week before taking her to visit my grandparents she fell and scraped both knees... Broken bones are much worse, I'm hoping to avoid those for as long as possible.
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