Bumps and Bruises

What happens when you have a toddler? Among many things, you find out how you react when your child gets hurt. Like, really hurt. When their tears actually mean something.

My daughter has had a rough go of it lately. She took a spill off her cute little folding camping chair, scraped her face on the cement and came up with a fat lip. It looked horrible. I wanted to cry. But, my husband (who was there when it happened) was already upset with himself that I needed to be the strong one. "She has to get her first fat lip somehow."

That was a rough night - I am sure her lip was throbbing in pain which caused her to have a restless night of sleep (and us too). She still has the scab on her nose, but the lip is back to normal. 

Fast forward a few days  - she is sitting on our bed watching "Frozen Fever" on my phone while we get ready for the day. Aaron is elsewhere as I watch in slow motion Ella lean back a little too far and fall off the side of our bed and hits her head on the wood floor. I rush to grab her but I am too late. I shed a tear (or two) as I comfort her. 

I know that kids this age get bumps and bruises as they learn to navigate the world around them. We try to teach them to be careful but sometimes they have to fall on their face to truly learn that it will hurt. 

I was proud of Ella, though, when she climbed right back up in her little camping chair a few days after her spill. Right back up on the horse! 

I am happy to know that bumps and bruises will happen and that she will learn that sometimes she just has to pick herself up and keep going. 

It is not so easy on me.