When Cameron was just a new little being, we had friends and family over to the house to show off our little guy. One couple had a son who was a year old at the time. Dan and I suddenly saw our apartment in a brand new way: as a death trap for a little, curious, quick-moving, danger-seeking boy.
This little boy scooted around our little open-concept dwelling, pulling himself up on furniture that seemed much more unsteady than I realized. Danger lay everywhere – in the power bar sitting in the corner, on and around the computer desk, in the candle centerpiece that adorned our coffee table.
I was floored. How could I possibly raise a child in this place? It was dangerous! There wasn’t a safe place for a baby anywhere!
As Cameron has grown and as he has very quickly learned to move and propel himself, his father and I have been trying to stay one step ahead of him and make our home safe. We donated flimsy furniture. We rearranged our living room. We moved the computer desk. We boxed anything that wasn’t essential and put it in storage. We strategically placed furniture to prevent Cameron from bumping, pulling over, or destroying himself and our stuff.
And yet we are still finding little nuggets of danger here and there… and so is Cameron. Those scary pits of hazardous possibilities are often treasure troves for my son. Unfortunately, this means that my baby is always sporting his newest bump or bruise and Mama is always on call to provide comforting snuggles after a mishap.
Yesterday we had a big mishap. Cameron was just playing in the living room, standing against the coffee table when he tumbled, going head first into the corner of our baseboard heaters. The heaters weren’t on (Dan has an aversion to warmth in the winter), but that didn’t prevent injury. Cameron had banged his forehead, right above his eye.
Immediately, I jumped out of the chair I was sitting in not two feet away. I am always amazed by the kind of trouble Cameron can get into, despite him being constantly supervised.
This bumpedy bruise was so big that Cameron required plenty of snuggles from his Mommy.
It breaks my heart to know that in all his learning and exploring, he has to get hurt along the way. Sometimes the world is just too big and bad and dangerous and scary for precious little boys. But for now, I’m glad that I can kiss all the bumps, bruises and tears away. Because at some point, the hurts will just be too big for my kisses to fix.
Teary-eyed Snuggles
Photo taken yesterday, November 11, 2010
8 months, 5 days old
