Thursday, June 26, 2008

"...and it looks like all my dreams."*

I am trying to be a more relaxed parent.

I am trying to let things go that don't really matter, and not stress about little irritants (and I don't just mean the children...).

I am trying to not yell so much, and to say yes to (polite) requests more.

It's either that, or lose my mind before August.

So when the boys commandeered my laundry baskets to play in and with, I let them. I let them fill them up with trains and stuffed animals, and race each other around the dining room, and stack them up into towers.

If I had known they were climbing them, I would not have been relaxed about that. Because climbing them is when trouble happens - trouble with a capital T. Climbing them is when Terzo topples off and smacks with a sickening thud - in slow motion, but not slow enough that I can catch him before contact - into the trunk we use for a coffee table.

And thank God we use a beat-up old trunk with softened leather edges, or it could have been much, much worse.

He was so brave - we iced him down and mopped up the blood and applied a Spiderman Band-aid.

In the morning, H decided it would be best to take off the Band-aid and let the wound air out a bit. But he wanted to apply some disinfectant, just to be on the safe side. And he couldn't find the mercurochrome. So he used another bottle in the medicine cabinet, one that very plainly stated it was a topical disinfectant for use on minor cuts, scrapes, and abrasions.

Now I? Always thought gentian violet was only used for thrush - and that's why I had a bottle of it in the first place. But you know, it turns out it is a fine disinfectant, with FABULOUS staying power.

Three days later:



*********

*The Big Orange Splot, by Daniel Pinkwater

12 comments:

Velma said...

Oh.

My.

Deity-of-Choice.

Anonymous said...

Poor little dude. You should get him a leather jacket and a tattoo... no one will mess with him on the playground.

p.s. that is a beautiful shade of violet.

blackbird said...

I'm not so sure that mercurochrome comes off too quickly either.

Katy said...

It looks like he got into the markers. The real story sure makes him sound tougher. =)

Badger said...

Dude. BACTINE. It's clear, and it doesn't sting. And even otherwise intelligent husbands who occasionally do stupid things can figure it out. ASK ME HOW I KNOW.

HEATHER said...

Oh how I hate it when they are falling and its in slow motion. Oh that is the most sickening feeling and it causes at least a square inch of gray hair to show up too! Is this something only mothers of little boys know?
Glad he is ok!
I think there is a big glass of wine with your name on it somewhere!

Suse said...

That's an impressive black eye, and an even more impressive violet stain.

I prescribe cuddles for the child and more whisky for the mother.

KPB said...

I can hear that thud.

It's a similar sound to the one of your child hitting the road nose first.

But you know, it's kinda tickling my sick sense of humour that the kid's face is stained with thrush cream. (AND WTF is with purple stained thrush cream. I mean if that's the stain on a cheek then what the hell does it do to your va... oh, never mind.)

Caro said...

I'm glad a trip to the ER was not in order.

Cool purple splotch.

I never saw a purple kid
I'd never hoped to see one
But I can tell you, anyhow
I'd rather see than be one

Sarah Louise said...

Oh, Terzo. So glad he's okay.

And glad you are okay.

xo,

SL

Sarah Louise said...

OH, and I finally figured out why the DP quote, which is from one of my favorite books.

Bearette said...

caro - cool limerick :)