Monday, April 19, 2010

The lion has a red nose, my daughter has a red eye

I picked up Grumbles from after school care today to discover that she had fallen off a scooter-like contraption - and, of course, had not been given a helmet - and had taken all the skin off in a near-perfect ring around one eye.

And now I feel like the crappest mum in the world.

I know being there wouldn't have made a lick of difference (well, I would have insisted on a helmet!), but when she told me that she was crying for me and I didn't come it was like a pummel to the gut. I know accidents happen, and I can't protect her every single second of every single minute of every single day, but it still felt so inherently, so instinctively wrong not to be there to cuddle her and wipe the tears away.

I sometimes wonder what would happen if you could bottle the worry, the anxiety, the stress of parenting in a vial and hand it over as a contraceptive. Me thinks the tumult of emotions would result in one heck of a lowered birth rate! Thank goodness, then, that the love, the pride, the joy overpowers everything.

7 comments:

  1. the emotions of motherhood! you mightnot of held her after that particular accident, but she won't remember that. she will remember you as always being there for her, because you love her. give yourself a break for the small stuff. it's just that...small stuff.

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  2. Oh no poor Grumbles. That's one of the hardest things about being a parent, not being there all the time. Especially if they feel that they needed you.
    *Hugs*

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  3. I think you'd be right about effective birth control!

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  4. oh so true about birth control. I would have never thought it was SO mentally challenging in the injury/sickness department. thankfully, like you said, the love and joy override it a bit!
    hope your cutie is ok :)

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  5. I know. Those heart strings can be pulled pretty tight sometimes.

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  6. oh no, the poor little dear, hope she's ok!

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  7. oh that was lovely.. brought a tear to my ear.. you just love them so much..

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