Boys will be Boys

I started a post detailing some of our week this week, and then word by word, deleted it.  I don't know, maybe I don't feel like writing, but probably more likely I don't feel like writing about the daily stuff that gives you a scare, but ultimately turns out just fine.  We had a week like that.  Here's the summary:

Christian tried standing on a tall basket of stuffed animals in his room, after bedtime, in the dark, fell and injured his nose. I thought it was broken. It wasn't. He is just fine and I was more bothered by the injury than he was.  He bounced back fast.




These pictures were two days post fall and you can still see the bruising and swelling.  And you can see the smile. See? Him: fine. Me: traumatized.

Elijah crawled into a toy box, got stuck upside down while some plastic train bridges stabbed him in the eyes and face.  Short of a couple small scrapes, he's fine.  I start imagining how this exact scenario is how a small child drowns in 2 inches of water in a bucket.  Yeah. My mind goes there. But, again, He is just fine. 



Later in the week, while putting Elijah's shoes on him, one of his toes probably got folded over and stuck awkwardly within his shoe.  Elijah's muscle tone is low, which makes his flexibility high. I mean, REALLY high.  This kid can slide in and out of every kind of split without a moments hesitation.  We spend our time trying not to let him do half of the moves he wants to do.  So, when a toe gets folded over in a shoe, it's not such a big deal to him.  Only, I have no idea what's going on and two hours later when the shoe came off, his toe was red and angled funny and he was crying like a banshie. I was convinced I had broken it somehow.  Again, no broken bone, and Elijah was back to normal, happy mode by the next morning, while I was still a little doe eyed about the whole thing.  

Boys will be boys. And, really, it's not just boys because I'd be generalizing in saying that...but Kids. Kids will be kids. They will break bones and bounce back. I'm the one who doesn't bounce back quite as fast when these things happen to them. I will not always be able to protect them- from falls, or broken hearts, from bad judgement calls, or hurt feelings. That is probably the part that gets me most as a parent: That I have been put "in charge" of these little lives for awhile, and that even though they are in my care, they are their own people who will make their own choices, their own mistakes, but also their own successes. I can love them and be there for them. I can help set some boundaries and consequences for when they aren't acting like kind, respectable people. I can only prepare them for this world...I cannot cushion them from it.  I find that both intoxicating and terrifying at the exact same time.

My boys, despite my best efforts, got a little bruised up physically this week. I got a little bruised up mentally this week. So, I took an opportunity to spend a little quality one on one time with each of my boys today. I took Christian with me for a hike to one of my favorite places.  We needed some fresh air and a little adventure.  I had a feeling Christian would love it and I was so, so right. He couldn't stop smiling the whole time, and frankly, neither could I.







My boys bounced back fast from their injuries this week, so I took a cue and had some time to bounce back with each of my boys- playing and snuggling with Elijah, hiking with Christian and then a dinner and a play with Charles.  My emotional reserves are filled up and I'm ready to go!!.......Almost...