Peter's Sledding Adventure
One of the scariest texts I ever got was while I was out shopping with Steven a few days ago. I had promised Steven a new suit for Christmas and we were at Men's Wearhouse picking one out. We were in the process of paying for our purchase when I received the following text from Hannah:
I'm sure you can imagine the thoughts rushing through my head. How bad is "really hurt"? Broken bones? Concussion? Do I need to call an ambulance? Then again, she was texting, not calling... Surely she would call if she thought he was dying?
I quickly sent a text back: "Paying now. Is he bleeding?" Can you give me more information about how bad it is? Please?
Response: "No. but hes crying and moaning and he says his back hurts, like the center of his spine"
Okay. He's not bleeding. He's conscious. But he's moaning? Is his back broken? Is my active boy going to be paralyzed for the rest of his life?
By that time we had completed our transaction and were headed back to the car so I called Hannah's phone.
The kids had gone to the park near our house to use the sleds we had given them for Christmas. Hannah had given Peter a push in the sled but the sled hit a tree with him on it. She didn't see what part of him hit. At my request, she handed the phone to Peter, who was calm enough to talk. From him I ascertained that even though it hurt, he could still wiggle his toes a little and move his foot. There didn't appear to be any bleeding. (He was well cushioned inside his snow pants and coat.)
By this point, I was calm again. From Peter's calmness on the phone, I doubted anything was broken. There probably wasn't anything too serious. I assured them that we would be home in about ten minutes. The other kids were giving Peter a ride home on the toboggan, and I advised them to put ice on whatever was hurting as soon as they got home.
When we arrived at home, Peter was lying on the couch in the living room. One of the boys was putting on a movie for him to watch (Watching movies is like eating comfort food for Peter - it helps to relax him when he's stressed or hurt or sad.) Hannah had put some ice in a bag and wrapped it in a towel for him. It warmed my heart to watch my kids pull together to help the one in need. After a quick examination, I was satisfied that there wasn't anything really swollen, and that he would be fine.
Peter's foot ended up hurting worse than his back and for the rest of the day he limped around, holding onto walls and furniture to support his weight like a crutch. The next day he discovered if he walked on the side of his foot, it didn't hurt as much and by the end of that day, he didn't seem to be favoring his foot at all.
I am grateful that our bodies are able to heal themselves from so many ailments. I am grateful for cell phones that enable communication in times of worry. I am grateful for my children who may squabble and quarrel, but who hold together and help each other in times of need.
"Peter hit a tree sledding and i think hes really hurt."
I'm sure you can imagine the thoughts rushing through my head. How bad is "really hurt"? Broken bones? Concussion? Do I need to call an ambulance? Then again, she was texting, not calling... Surely she would call if she thought he was dying?
I quickly sent a text back: "Paying now. Is he bleeding?" Can you give me more information about how bad it is? Please?
Response: "No. but hes crying and moaning and he says his back hurts, like the center of his spine"
Okay. He's not bleeding. He's conscious. But he's moaning? Is his back broken? Is my active boy going to be paralyzed for the rest of his life?
By that time we had completed our transaction and were headed back to the car so I called Hannah's phone.
The kids had gone to the park near our house to use the sleds we had given them for Christmas. Hannah had given Peter a push in the sled but the sled hit a tree with him on it. She didn't see what part of him hit. At my request, she handed the phone to Peter, who was calm enough to talk. From him I ascertained that even though it hurt, he could still wiggle his toes a little and move his foot. There didn't appear to be any bleeding. (He was well cushioned inside his snow pants and coat.)
By this point, I was calm again. From Peter's calmness on the phone, I doubted anything was broken. There probably wasn't anything too serious. I assured them that we would be home in about ten minutes. The other kids were giving Peter a ride home on the toboggan, and I advised them to put ice on whatever was hurting as soon as they got home.
When we arrived at home, Peter was lying on the couch in the living room. One of the boys was putting on a movie for him to watch (Watching movies is like eating comfort food for Peter - it helps to relax him when he's stressed or hurt or sad.) Hannah had put some ice in a bag and wrapped it in a towel for him. It warmed my heart to watch my kids pull together to help the one in need. After a quick examination, I was satisfied that there wasn't anything really swollen, and that he would be fine.
Peter's foot ended up hurting worse than his back and for the rest of the day he limped around, holding onto walls and furniture to support his weight like a crutch. The next day he discovered if he walked on the side of his foot, it didn't hurt as much and by the end of that day, he didn't seem to be favoring his foot at all.
I am grateful that our bodies are able to heal themselves from so many ailments. I am grateful for cell phones that enable communication in times of worry. I am grateful for my children who may squabble and quarrel, but who hold together and help each other in times of need.
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