Kids hurt themselves.
I’m not completely naive as to believe that this doesn’t happen. Children are learning to navigate and understand this world. Everything is new. Each movement, each discovery, each taste is something to add to their repertoire of experiences. They try, they test, and they do things that are completely foreign and exciting to them.
In doing so, they tend to get hurt. Their little legs might give out. Their balance might falter. As adventurous as they are, they haven’t grasped the consequences of certain actions. So accidents happen.
This is normal. I get it.
Cameron has hurt himself plenty of times in my care. So when he comes home from daycare with a bump or a bruise, I do not blame the daycare provider or worry that my child is in a dangerous situation.
I get it.
Kids hurt themselves.
It happens.
Earlier this week, I came home to a story of how my poor little boy’s fingers had been rolled over by another kid on a riding toy that day at daycare. It happens. I said to myself. Kids hurt themselves. But my heart still broke a little.
That same evening, as I was changing Cameron’s diaper, I noticed what looked to be a bruise or a burn underneath my son’s chin. It had obviously happened at daycare. It’s okay. I said to myself. He’s not upset now. Kids hurt themselves. It happens.
But, oh my poor baby!
As I laid my son down in his crib that night and listened to his whines turn into a peaceful slumber, I wandered to my husband’s side and sighed.
Cam got hurt a lot today.
I know, he said. It happens. Kids hurt themselves.
Yeah. I know. But the problem is – I wasn’t there to snuggle that pain away. I wasn’t there. I should have been there.
Kids hurt themselves. Cameron has hurt himself lots as he has been growing up. But, until daycare started, I have always been there for him. I’ve always hugged him, rubbed his back, shhhhed the cries and wiped the tears.
I’ve fixed the pain.
It is what Moms do.
But now? Cameron goes to daycare. He get’s hurt. It happens.
And I’m not there to fix it.
For now, I will give extra kisses while I’m with him, in hopes that they will linger just long enough to ease the next trial that comes Cam’s way.
But I think that I have to resign myself to the fact that even though I’m his Mommy, I can’t always be there to ease all the pain.
So I’m kissing you from a distance, baby.
Foo.
When I first read this post I took it personally. That was at least six months ago and have read it many many times. It didn’t take me long to realize that it had nothing to do with me. And everything to do with how hard it is for working mothers who would love nothing more than to just be with their babies. I would like to say thank you for reminding me of this. I do things a little different now. We have put in place a few things to try and head off those childhood mishaps before they happens. Yes children get hurt hopefully a little less here. When something happens to one of the children I call the parents right away so they can decide if they want to come have a look or not. This may be my 500th child but this is your baby and you have the one and only say in what happens, if my opinion is asked I give it if not thats fine too.
So again I say thank you,
Trina
Awww! Trina! I absolutely did not want you to take this personally. Like I said – it happens! Cam gets hurt (and got hurt) all the time in my care too. It is the nature of childhood – learning and growing! In fact, even today Cameron decided to just not try to be careful about anything. After about his hundredth “bonk”, I started to get frustrated instead of caring. :)
I am so glad you have been able to realize that this is saying nothing bad about you or daycare. I am sorry you felt that way initially. Truthfully, I keep meaning to write a post about how guilty I feel for taking Cam out of daycare. He LOVED it at your place, he became a friendly, social little boy, and learned impeccable manners with you. When I first hated the idea of sending him to daycare (before I went back to work), I now worried he is worse off being home with me.
All of this is to say, we love you and Cameron loves you and we were never, ever upset with anything that happened at daycare.
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