Yesterday I had all four kids at Tracey's little dance class, which I do every week. And I had Howard, Caroline, and Addallee in the lobby, like I do every week. And Howard and Caroline were playing like normal two-year-olds, like they do every week.
But this week, Howard ran toward the bathroom door of the small lobby, and tripped just right for him to fall face-first into the bathroom door and slam his forehead against the rectangular door hinge.
The accident left a rectangular gash in his forehead and cause for three stitches for our little boy.
Howard never lost consciousness, and I was in the lobby with three other parents, two of whom were nurses, so we were able to work together to apply pressure to Howard's head and access the injury.
Just as we determined that Howard did need to go to a doctor's office to have the wound closed in some way (stitches or souchers or glue, etc), I picked up my cell phone to call Hubby... and he walked through the door of the lobby.
He had been out running an errand for work, and decided to just swing by Tracey's dance class to watch her dance for a minute before heading back to work. He has done that once in nearly eight months of her taking dance lessons... but he did that today, and walked through the door to the lobby just as I was calling him, and as Howard was (still) crying for Daddy.
He and I assessed the situation and decided that he would take Howard to the doctor's office in the hope that they could treat his head in the office without needing to go the emergency room. They were able to do just that.
They put a numbing bandage on his head and gave him an oral medication to make him "loopy", and then they injected his head with lidicane and the doctor sewed three stitches.
When Howard and Hubby came home, Howard was definitely loopy, and he was tired, but didn't want to sleep, and the affects of the medication were such that he couldn't even walk without falling over. Hubby never went back to work because we had our hands full with Howard's situation and our three non-injured children.
All that to say, I got to see first hand how your entire day can change in an instant. I was sitting on the floor, not even two feet from Howard when he tripped and fell into this door hinge. He wasn't playing recklessly or disobeying me -- it was just an accident that happened right in front of me. I watch him fall head first into this door hinge, and there was nothing I could have done to stop it from happening. Hubby and my entire day changed the moment his foot caught the carpet causing his head to strike the door hinge. In that instant, the rest of our day would be spent getting our injured son medical attention.
In an instant our DAY was changed -- and that was for a (thankfully) minor injury to his head. What if it had been a worse accident? What if not our day, but our entire lives were changed in an instant? The accident happened so fast. What if the blow to his head had caused a concussion or intracranial bleeding or paralysis or worse? In a small, safe dance lobby with four adults within arm's reach, Howard had an injury requiring three stitches. That's a scary thought.
My only take-away is that I cannot put him (or my other children) in a bubble to give myself peace of mind for the next thirty years. I cannot lay awake at night thinking over every scenario of the day that could have been worse or instants that might change my life forever. I can just remember that God is in control. God knows my children better than I do. God loves my children more than I do. God allowed this accident to happen yesterday, but he surrounded me with three other adults in that stressful situation to help me care for Howard and my other children while he was hurt. God surrounded me with two nurses on the scene to help me access Howard's injuries and make wise choices as to what medical care he would require. God sent my husband through the door of the lobby, the exact minute I was trying to reach him.
Motherhood is very scary, and the number of people, things, places, and simple accidents out there that can hurt my children are terrifying. But my God is over everything. My God knowns everything, and my God is watching over my children. I still have fears, but I also have faith. Faith that in every instant, God is in control.
