Thursday, August 21, 2008

A Bad Mom Moment

Yesterday morning I was brushing my teeth when I heard a very loud bang and "The Cry" that tells you something is definitely wrong. Eleyna had tripped over her feet and landed head first into the corner of the wall, splitting her head open. As far as head splitting goes, it wasn't terrible, but it was bad enough. I held it closed for awhile while I called my neighbor to watch the kids, then a friend drove me to the doctor where she got her head stitched back together.
I don't feel like a bad mom because I could have prevented it in any way. I didn't leave her by herself very long, she didn't trip on anything left around by house cleaning neglect. I mean, I guess I could have held her hand while she walked out of the kitchen...
I feel like a bad mom because as we sat in the doctor's office reading books as her head numbed, just me and her, she had the time of her life. I think she was so happy to be alone with me for such a long time. After getting stitched up, she left the doctor's office with a big grin on her face.
Poor girl, stuck between a demanding older sister, and a baby for most of her life. I feel bad that I haven't spent more time alone with her.

5 comments:

Stephanie said...

You can look at it any way though. The oldest has two younger siblings that need a lot of time, and the baby has two older siblings that take so much time with activities. I don't think it's bad parenting- it's just parenting. You will always need to find limits to everything. I'm glad you got to spend one on one time though. You're better than me though, I would have passed out!

Marcy said...

I know exactly what you mean, Stacy! My middle child has middle child syndrome too! I'm so glad that the oldest is in school all day now so I can give the middle one more attention while the baby is sleeping. It sounds like Eleyna handled her little gash really well!

Melissa said...

We've had a stitches experience too. Somehow I remained calm, while my husband freaked out! Our middle child struggles, too. He's always doing naughty things to get our attention. Hopefully when school starts, I can give him a little more positive attention!

elsie's elsie said...

That cute smile despite her nasty cut says that you're an awesome mom! :)

Michal said...

ahhh, the split open head. i have been there a few times with our oldest. i actually don't even know how many times.
you have got to stop blaming yourself. it is okay to try to do better, but let go of the guilt! you are doing a great job with those kids. middle kids will do anything to get attention, it's true. i try to take our middles out with me one-on-one when i'm running and errand with daddy at home. they love even going to the bank and the grocery store with me. and i'm relieved that i'm not taking all four of them.