Soapbox

So I’ve got this kid… and I knew something was wrong. I just knew it.

We were at the fabric store, and Katie, bored, was sitting on the low ledge (about 10 inches off the floor) that ran along the wall under the button display, looking at buttons. She twisted around to see some behind her, and fell off the ledge.

I rushed to pick her up, disturbed by the intensity of her crying. The sales woman looked around and asked what was wrong. When I explained that Katie had fallen off the ledge, she waved her hand dismissively and said to her in a tupid, baby-talk voice,
"Oh, what all dis fuss about honey? You not hurt, widdle won!"
I found this annoying, but Katie was crying too had to pay attention, her little hand clutching my arm fiercely. Becky and I exchanged worried glances over her head.

"Maybe we should check her out…" I sat down and began to gently run my hands up and down her arms and felt her head for lumps while she wailed. The sales lady laughed.
"Oh, she’s just tired and wants Mommy’s attention" she said and walked away.
"Witch! You just don’t want to have to fill out an accident report!" I thought. Katie tucked her head in at my shoulder and her sobs changed to hiccoughs.
"See? she’s fine!" I was told as my purchases were handed to me. I gritted my teeth and smiled. She certainly seemed fine now, but in my experience, kids don’t cry like that for no reason.

I gently set her into her car seat- she wailed briefly but subsided again as soon as I had her fastened in.
"What do you think?"Becky asked, sensing my continued unease.
"I’ll take her home and feed her." I said as I got her brother fastened in beside her." It’s late- maybe she is just tired."
And in fact, Katie dropped off to sleep almost at once.

A few blocks from home I decide to make a stop at Krogers and get some dinner rations. I gingerly lifted the seat harness over Katie’s head, knowing it would wake her. And then I reached out and took her under the arms and lifted her.

She shrieked. Not cried, not wailed: she shrieked. Ok, that’s it- we’re going to the doctor! I never should have listened to that stupid woman in the first place- I knew something was wrong! I checked my watch- just after 4:30. No way I would make it across town in time to see my family practice guys- it would have to be Urgent Care. I fastened Katie in again and off we went.

After a 2 minute description of the incident, the doctor nodded. "Collar bone" he said and took her off for an x-ray, which confirmed it. No wonder she screamed when I lifted her under the arms- I was wrenching her broken bone!

They gave her children’s Tylenol and the cutest, tiniest halo brace they had in stock, and I was very careful to lift her from around the middle or her hips for a few weeks, and everything was fine. I just felt annoyed at myself for letting the woman at the store convince me that nothing was wrong when I knew right away that something was.

Sometimes in parenting, you just have to go with your gut.