Having a child/ children challenges one as a whole being, physically, emotionally and intellectually.
Zee Zou’s left thumb got slammed by a glass door last weekend. It was a scary scene, her face and hands were covered by blood. She was in great pain and was touching her hands and face. It was after cleaning her up that we realised that she had a deep cut in her left thumb. The bleeding wouldn’t stop, so was her crying.
We ended up at the hospital A&E and did an X-ray. The doctor said that this was known as ”crush injury” and Zee Zou needed some stitches on her wound. As her thumbnail was also blackened from the accident, the doctor added that they needed to take out the nail and check her nailbed. Ouch…
She was too young to go through stitching without sedation. As the injection took effect, she drifted into a dream like stage with her eyes opened. This was called “conscious sedation” and my heart ached while seeing her go through the whole process.
Her thumb is still in bandage and with support to help her bone heal.
I wandered if there was anything I could do as a mother to prevent the accident.
On the other hand, I tell myself that I need to let her explore without too much unnecessary interference.
“Boy, don’t go there. It is so dangerous.”
“Girl, don’t climb. You will fall.”
“Don’t do this and don’t do that.”
Sounds over protective? I find myself saying such words more often as Zee Zou grows older and challenges the boundaries.
I heard from some experts that instead of saying “don’t do this”, say “go do that”. For example, instead of saying “don’t climb the slide”, say. “let’s go see the butterflies”.
Easier said than done. You have to be quick witted, physically fast and emotionally strong to deal with a child’s ever growing demands to explore more about this world.
Who says being a parent is easy!
