Go For Broke

No one can ever accuse my children of not giving 100% to whatever they do. Whether it be taking on a Super hero persona, tackling their brother to the ground, or running to give a hug to a loved relative (namely Nana Nana), they give it all they got. Now, there is a time and place for 100% and there is a time for, well, about 25 to 30%. Friday would have been a good time for the latter. Ethan, Andrew and I were at a park, enjoying a nice picnic lunch and autumn weather. I was pushing Andrew on the tire swing ("faster, mom, faster") and Ethan was calling my name, "Mom, watch, I can get this if I jump, watch." That should have given me a clue. I look over and I see Ethan lunging for a bar that is up and out of his reach. He was standing on a platform about 3 feet off the ground was attempting to jump and grab onto a bar that moves so he can ride it to the other side. I said "go ahead, I am watching." Ethan leaps off the platform, arms straight up in the air and his fingers touch the bar and the bar moves out of his reach and he continues to fall straight down, his body lands onto the ground, with his face taking the brunt of the fall. I saw his head bounce off the ground and he jumps up, screaming, "my nose, my nose!" Blood was pouring out of his nose and the scene was just horrible. I couldn't tell if there was blood coming out of his mouth as well. There was no one else at the park, I had no tissues or napkins, and really no way to stop the bleeding. I didn't know how to comfort him because I couldn't touch his nose and there was no way for me to stop the pain. Ethan was crying, "Call the cops, call the cops." "Why?" I asked. He said, "So they can help me." It was so scary and so horrible at the very moment. He wanted help and I couldn't offer it. Finally, (it seemed like an eternity) I piled him and Andrew into the van and I decided to take him to the ER because it looked pretty obvious that his nose was broken. On the way to the hospital I called Jason and told him what had happened, I starting bawling because all the panic and emotions I had held inside had to come out. After I explained what happened I said, "Ethan is crying and I don't know how to make him stop." Jason said, "tell him he has to stop or he is going to make it worse, he will make his nose bleed more." I told Ethan what Jason said and Ethan immediately stopped crying. Little boys think their daddies are so smart. (Maybe if I precede everything I tell my boys with "Daddy said" they will listen to me!) Anyway, long story short, Ethan has a broken nose and I have about 2 years taken off my life.