May 13: Kai's lesson today - Concrete Isn't Very Forgiving

As a mom you never want to see your children get hurt.  It is in our instincts to protect them and keep them from falling in every way possible and yet we sometimes have to let them do their thing - even if it results in them doing that thing we want to keep from happening: going flat on their face.  When I was pregnant with Kai, it had always been my intention to raise him with a certain amount of resilience.  And believe me, it was hard (and I mean HARD) to not give a kick when he tripped and fell for the first time, when he wasn't looking and walked straight into the bookcase, when he tripped over the little step between the kitchen and the laundry room.  As Kai got older, this got easier and easier and even though these days I have become pretty stoic as he trips, falls or stumbles, it doesn't change the fact that I as a mother I don't want to see my child get hurt - one way or another.  

So here we go: David is throwing the ball for Buster, Kai enjoys running after Buster, pretending to chase him.  Then it happened: he trips and does a face plant on the concrete pavers.  There were the few seconds of silence and then ... full volume!  He had scraped the area under his nose and busted his lip, which swell up in no-time. 

The poor kid was besides himself.  Kisses and a sippy with milk helped start the healing process, one that was aided by Finding Nemo and eventually some yogurt (and of course tons of hugs and cuddles).  Kai's lesson today: concrete isn't very forgiving.