Blood and Tears

In every toddlers' life comes a fall. Spencer's fall came today at Playa Vista park when he decided that the fastest way to get off the play structure was to lower himself off a platform three feet off the ground (incidentally that's his current height). I was right next to him at the time and suggested he go down the ramp a bit to a staircase leading to the ground. Spencer wanted to do it his way. I watched as he dangled his feet off and let go. His chin grazed the platform on the way down causing his head to snap back enough that he lost his balance hitting his bottom and then his head against the rubberized play surface. As he opened his mouth and started to howl, I could see that he had bit his bottom lip.

I scrambled down as fast as humanly possible and scooped him into my arms. Immediately I wished that I had stopped him from getting off that platform but then I thought of all the times that Spencer has proven me wrong about his capabilities. Parents who hover and tell their children not to attempt anything because they might not make it eventually teach their children not to strive, not to reach beyond their grasp. Now was the time to assess the damage, bandage the wounds and help Spencer move on. I handed Spencer the water cup I had brought but as he started to sip, blood went down the straw which only traumatized him more. Quickly I removed the top and tried to get him to sip and spit but he doesn't really have the spitting part down yet. That will come soon enough I'm sure. After holding him tight for several minutes, Spencer calmed down. Before long, he was back to playing, climbing a rope spider web up to a slide, going down and repeating the process again. I think I was more shaken by the experience then he was.

When we got home, I saw exactly how deep the cut was. It looked as if his two front teeth had gone deep into his lip. I called the doctor and made an appointment for the next day. We waited almost half an hour the next afternoon only to have the doctor take a quick glance and tell us that the wound would heal on its own. Spencer complained for a day or two that his lip hurt but within a week there was no trace of the injury.