Ouch

"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion) 10/16/2017 at 14:04 • Filed to: None

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Last week, my wife and I were in the kitchen with dinner ready, and our kids were upstairs. We hear a clunk on the stairs, and suddenly several more in close succession. We’re both running toward the bottom of the staircase and find my 3-year old daughter in tears at the bottom, having just tumbled down most of a full flight of hardwood, straight stairs.

Three minutes later she was eating dinner. Not a scratch or significant bruise anywhere on her. It’s right up there among a parent’s worst fears, like playing in traffic, running with scissors, and falling off a swingset. (Sadly, I’d have to rank public violence in my top 10 fears at this point, but let’s not go there.) Our kids are very good about being careful on the stairs, but she was playing with a toy and got distracted; as did we. And we were very lucky.

Over the weekend, we hiked a small local mountain with the kids. My five-year-old son was great. Our daughter needed a little help toward the bottom. We played on the beach (in October!) went apple picking, played in piles of leaves, all in all a great weekend, lots of time outside being active. Last night around 4:30, my son sat down in regular-height chair at a regular old table to play quietly with a toy; he was tired from running around recklessly on the lawn with his sister for the last 2 hours.

He fell out of the chair, somehow, and broke his arm as you can see from the x-ray. Poor guy. Today was school picture day. I brought him in and he was all smiles with a cast over his elbow and a shiny new sling over his shoulder. He’s being a real trooper about the whole thing, which is amazing. His arm was visibly bent! I knew in an instant that it was broken. They even had to re-set the bone, a procedure for which my wife left the room. It should heal up just fine. At least now beach days are over, and he’ll be 100% healed in time for ski season.

It just goes to show that no matter how careful you are as a parent, things will still happen. We ski with them and they fall, get back up, and keep going. They fall off their bikes. They’ll fall down the stairs and be fine (apparently, although I hope to never repeat that one). Then they’ll tip out of a small chair onto a rug and wind up in the ER. You never know.

Umm oh yeah here’s a couple neat vehicles I saw at the farm where we went apple picking: an early 60's Ford like mine (I want the windshield, mine is awful) and a CJ3 (?) converted into even more of a tractor than it already was from the factory. I wasn’t quick enough, but it had a hydraulic lift on the front.

Arrivederci > functionoverfashion 10/16/2017 at 14:09

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Glad the little one was okay after the tumble down the stairs! I took a much shorter fall one time and dislocated my thumb. Of course, I had a lot more weight on it when I fell, hah.

Crazy that your son broke his arm falling out of a chair, yet your daughter managed to tumble down a flight of stairs. Good thoughts his way for a quick recovery, but in the meantime he’ll have fun showing off his cast to his classmates ;).

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > functionoverfashion 10/16/2017 at 14:27

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If your son suddenly gets invited to lots of parties, you’ll know why.

“I don’t have any children, but if I had a baby, I would have to name it so I’d buy a baby naming book. Or I would invite somebody over who had a cast on.”

-Mitch Hedberg

Chariotoflove > functionoverfashion 10/16/2017 at 14:28

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My insides just clench up every time I hear this kind of story. It’s so hard to not be terrified for them when you know that just a single wrong move at the wrong time can leave them disabled for life or dead.

Sorry to be so morbid. I’m glad your boy had a clean break and a straight shot to healing. Make sure he carries a Sharpie for signatures!

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Chariotoflove 10/16/2017 at 14:31

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This. I think we all know a kid who made one wrong move and ended up a para, quad or 6 feet under.

Shamoononon drives like a farmer > functionoverfashion 10/16/2017 at 14:32

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My daughter broke her leg just as she was beginning to walk. It was so heart breaking. Little kid still got around dragging the leg.

Hope your guy heals up like new!

diplodicus > functionoverfashion 10/16/2017 at 14:38

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I broke my arm just like that when I was a kid. Twice actually, same arm too. They actually completely break it then reset it. That’s a green stick fracture. The first time I had to have it broken again after it had mostly healed because I’m a dumb ass and kept climbing trees even though they told me not to and messed up the positioning.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > functionoverfashion 10/16/2017 at 14:42

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When skiing, the little kids are the most insane. They ski like they are unbreakable! Im taking my time meandering down some crazy moguls and slowly navigating ice sheets. Meanwhile a group of 8 year old kids will come flying by doing back flips off cliff faces and shit.

Ive hit trees before and thankfully healed. But man those are a long week of wondering if I was going to need surgery and physical therapy and face my girlfriend saying “YOU NEED TO BE MORE CAREFUL”.

Nick Has an Exocet > functionoverfashion 10/16/2017 at 14:44

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When my brother was about 5 or 6, he fell while taking a bike ride with my aunt and I. He had a green branch break of his arm (basically it broke part way and splintered). The bone was trying to poke through his skin. It was horrific. Crap happens with kids. Though come to think of it, crap happens with adults too.

functionoverfashion > Chariotoflove 10/16/2017 at 14:48

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No, I have these thoughts too. A wise parent (who has four wonderful adult kids now) said to me, “Parenting is one long series of letting go,” which is about right.

functionoverfashion > Arrivederci 10/16/2017 at 14:50

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He was quite proud at school for his pictures; perhaps because he knew he got to go home after! I brought a sharpie but he was being shy about it. Maybe tomorrow.

functionoverfashion > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 10/16/2017 at 14:51

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I know several actually. I worked with an adaptive waterskiing program for several years and most of the people involved were the same kind of story. “Went a little too far to the left..” or whatever.

functionoverfashion > Shamoononon drives like a farmer 10/16/2017 at 14:52

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Oh man, that’s awful. But yeah it’s amazing how quickly they adapt - he was already figuring things out today, the first day. “Hey daddy I can do THIS instead!”

OPPOsaurus WRX > functionoverfashion 10/16/2017 at 14:54

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i’m cringing the fuck out right now. I hope I dont have to deal with that, however with the way my kids are.......

functionoverfashion > Nick Has an Exocet 10/16/2017 at 14:55

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I kinda-sorta pushed my sister down some stairs when she was 5 or 6. It genuinely was an accident of ignorance, she was walking backwards while carrying something, I had the other end. Anyway same deal, broken arm - green “stick” fracture or whatever. I think my son’s was a proper break yesterday, based on the x-ray. I feel so bad for the kid...

vicali > functionoverfashion 10/16/2017 at 14:55

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oof. . I thought it would be easier once they were big enough to walk and talk but dang.. Parenting is still hard.

Then again- It’s pretty awesome too.

functionoverfashion > vicali 10/16/2017 at 14:57

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Oh, the whole weekend was like, “wow this is why we had kids” - I literally said to my wife, “What would this weekend have been like without kids?” And her answer was, “relaxing” but I countered with “boring.” This was just before he broke his arm, as luck would have it.

It’s a long strange trip, eh?

Chariotoflove > functionoverfashion 10/16/2017 at 15:01

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I don’t want to bum you out or make you paranoid, but this is something that has stayed with me ever since I became a father:

When I was 20, I got hit by a car on what should have been a routine bike ride. Paralyzed and almost dead. I’m okay in my head with all that (as okay as you can be anyway, right?), but what still grips my heart is what must have gone through my father’s head when the trooper knocked on the door, confirmed my identity, and said, “you’d better come with me.” I shouldn’t have survived the night. For a father, this is the stuff of nightmares that no Halloween story can ever match.

Letting go is something that takes real work for me.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > functionoverfashion 10/16/2017 at 15:02

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Glad both are and will be back to 100% soon!

We’ve definitely been through broken bones and stitches...

Chariotoflove > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 10/16/2017 at 15:03

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I know several. :(

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Chariotoflove 10/16/2017 at 15:15

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It’s tragic, but I think that we’ve made so much progress in technology, health and society, you can still live a good life. I see many people on jalop/oppo that have hand controls on their cars and I love that.

Chariotoflove > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 10/16/2017 at 16:10

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Yep, we manage.

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove 10/16/2017 at 16:34

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Aiiiieeee! All of this is just reminding me of what my nightmares are about! Mine transitioned to walking on his own just last Tuesday (so now walking is about 90% of what he does of course). I’m already realizing how hard it is to keep an eye on him all the time.

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove 10/16/2017 at 16:36

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I can’t even imagine it. My worst nightmares all start with that knock on the door. And I can’t imagine that letting go would ever come- -

Chariotoflove > WilliamsSW 10/16/2017 at 16:37

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I already know your house is childproofed. It’s when they leave the house it starts to get really scary.

Sorry for triggering you.

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove 10/16/2017 at 16:41

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Well, I’m exaggerating a bit, of course - I’m not easily triggered, but I do occasionally have those horrible thoughts running through my head.

And, the truth is, no matter how much we childproof the house, there’s always some possibility of injury- it’s unavoidable. Part of life, unfortunately—

Chariotoflove > WilliamsSW 10/16/2017 at 16:49

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I know. And yeah, it is. We’re never home free.

Chariotoflove > WilliamsSW 10/16/2017 at 16:49

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To this day, it’s a scar on my dad’s soul. I can see it.

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove 10/16/2017 at 18:02

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I feel like, as a parent, we have this vision that our children will have a ‘perfect’ life, and try to make that possible (whatever that means), even though we know that, in reality, it’s impossible. And, when something happens that makes that impossible (in our own minds), that can be shattering.

I imagine that scar hurts you, too, along with everything else you’ve experienced.

Chariotoflove > WilliamsSW 10/16/2017 at 18:32

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Yeah, but that’s life, I guess.

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove 10/16/2017 at 19:16

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So true. It’s odd, but I feel like I’ve learned more about life in the last 2-3 years than the 47 that came before it. Some of it good, some of it bad, most of it just is.

functionoverfashion > Chariotoflove 10/16/2017 at 20:36

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Wow, thanks for sharing that. It really is the stuff of nightmares, I’ve already had nightmares about them getting hurt. The teenage years, college years, whatever years, are all going to be hard for us not to worry. We will worry. It’s all part of the deal I guess.

functionoverfashion > OPPOsaurus WRX 10/16/2017 at 20:41

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I was a little surprised it happened this early, and in particular to my son. He’s the less brave of the two, and more careful - she does everything he does whether she can or not; he knocks her flat in the yard and she’ll cry for 3 seconds, get up, and chase him down. We already have said, she’s the one we’ll have to watch out for.

He’s taken a good fall off the jungle gym, though, too. But if they’re anything like me, this will not be our last trip to the ER.

Chariotoflove > functionoverfashion 10/16/2017 at 23:40

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Lucky for them they will be oblivious until they have kids. :)

pip bip - choose Corrour > functionoverfashion 10/17/2017 at 06:50

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good thing is he’s young and will heal and have no issues, kids at school would have been liking the cast.

functionoverfashion > pip bip - choose Corrour 10/17/2017 at 08:09

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Yeah, he will be bringing some markers with him when he goes back! And I’m sure he will heal up 100%.