Sabine has been doing –great- during her time in riding her bike. I’ve been cautiously excited as to how well she’s been doing. After many days of riding with only showing a skinned knee for it, she went out with Jenn and her friends to a trail to go riding and a picnic.
I’m still just nervous. And it comes to a full tilt in my head when Jenn calls me, with a wailing Sabine in the background. Apparently she went down an area that sped up, went off the trail and really really banged up her chin, blood from superficial cuts and some serious bruising. The chin is swelled to double its size.
Being at work and not there to help with the situation really put me through a loop. Jenn was absolutely wonderful with Sabine and truth be told, I just should’ve left her to handle the whole situation, but I wanted her close to me so mommy AND daddy were there to help!
She went to the doc – all went ok.. ice for several days… treat all the cuts and bruises (which you cant see that much in this picture.. thankfully), and she will be ok.
When she got home we sat around and talked about what happened and she talked about how frustrated she was about being hurt. She was upset over her skinned knee.
It hit me – “Honey.. you know Uncle Joe, right? His daughter Claire.. guess what happened to her!!”
Ran off to the bookcase and got a copy of The Moment It Clicks. Turned to the page of Claire and the really bad scrape she had. She sat there just looking at it and reading the story Joe tells (Everyone should own this book, I say).
She then pipes up “Daddy, I want to write Claire a note to feel better”
I tell her “Sweetheart – she’s a big girl now… and all better. Just like you’ll be”
My Lesson
So, she’s in bed with Jenn, cuddled up and reading her book. Time for me to go in and say goodnight. Right before I leave the room, something dawns on me – so I decide to go with it:
“Sabine.. I just want to tell you that I am very proud of you today.”
She looks at me weird and asks why.
“Did you not ride your bike? Did you not go on a big girl trail? Did you not ride with a group of people? Did you not ride all the way to the picnic and back? These are very big things. You just happened to have an accident. The accident doesnt take away from how well you did today. You did a good job!”
I kissed her goodnight. The following morning – she asked to go bike riding – swollen face and all, on her small bike in the porch area.
***
I -clearly- am winging some of this stuff. Jenn is infinitely more read and good about these kinds of things, and I defer to her so much because of that as the more ‘responsible’ one. I would be lying if I didn’t say that I was kinda pumped for myself that I had the presence of mind to talk to her before she went to bed. I see having a kid as these really cool lessons that I’m getting to learn…
sometimes the hard way. But. I can say this one is behind me. And she will be better for it.
1 Comment
The hardest thing any parent can do is to overreact and especially in front of their kids. They sense that. But giving them encouragement and telling them they did OK is about the best thing you can do RC. I also have to believe those motherly instincts were with Jenn and she did what any mother would do so everyone was in good hands (including you). Even though my daughter is 24, there are times I feel the same way and I get the evil eye from here when I try to help out in any way. She knows I care and that I am trying to help. As Sabine grows older, she will always remember what you did for her, thats the payoff any parent wants to hear from their kids.