Ain't Broken, But Badly Buckled

We have officially entered the coveted Parent Club known as-The Broken Bone Association. We don't hold regular meetings, but our membership relies on the adventurous and not so well thought out intentions of our children whose bones could no longer take the abuse.

My daughter and friends decided on Sunday that it would be a neat idea to play roller coaster with a wagon, a sloped road, two passengers, and one driver. Well, needless to say the driver soon lost control of the runaway wagon and the passengers tumbled out onto the paved street. In the process of saving themselves, my daughter hurt her wrist and scraped up her left side. When she came to the house crying and I asked her what was wrong she started by saying "I know it was stupid idea..." and then relayed all the gory details.

I felt bad that her first feeling was not to run to Mom for comfort but rather to fear Mom's wrath. But after reassurances that Mom was not mad and that everything would be all right, we figured that the wounds sustanined would quickly heal themselves.

I have never been a Mom who ran to the doctor over every little sniffle or cough. I pretty much have trusted my gut to guide the times that we haved called on the doctor. So, I took the wait and see approach until Tuesday when her wrist looked a little swollen and she was gaining any movement in the wrist without having paid. So we spent yesteday morning at Urgent care visiting with the nurse, the xray tech, the nurse practicioner, and finally the very peppy doctor. After xrays and exams it was determined that she had a bone buckle.

Now, I have never heard this term before. What it means is that the bone did fracture, but because thank god kids' bones are pliable and resilient instead of it actually fracturing apart the bone fuses back together and forms a bump (or buckle) on the bone. So treatment has begun with a splint wrapped in ace bandage and a referral visit to the orthopedic for a possible cast. If she gets a cast she gets to pick out a colored one, which I think she is a little bit thrilled with the idea and the attention she is going to draw.

During the visit my daughter worried about how much this was all costing. I told her that kids shouldn't worry about those things and that's why we have insurance. Again, is there something in my parenting that is making my kid worry about such things?

As parents, I hope we all examine our parenting from time to time. I did so and realized that when my kid gets hurt my first reaction shouldn't be anger to the effect of why did you just do the stupid thing you just did to get hurt, especially when I warned you about running on the stairs or trying to ride your bike with no hands (which incidentally I did all the time and I recall vividly the time I thought to myself how I would feel to ride my 10 speed down a culvert ditch with no hands-needless to say that didn't go over too well or should I say I went well over and landed with a splat). I have to remind myself that kids don't do those things just to annoy parents. They do these things because they're kids and they're still learning the things they shouldn't do.

I also wonder how my daughter picks up on our financial concerns. I guess she hears us discuss things because we don't talk about such matters behind closed doors. Maybe we need to re-evaluate that too. I just don't recall as a kid being worried about such things although in hindsight I know my parents struggled from time to time as many families do.

So, the lesson in all of this is do not ride in wagons at full speed down hill or at least have a good insurance policy if you do. Oh, and to try and be a better parent. Which is almost like riding downhill in a wagon. I'm still trying to hold on.