As a mom, you endure many challenges, each one unique. The other day, I was hit with one while hurtling down the freeway during the evening commute. This story is true....
You should know by now, if you've bothered to actually READ my post, or you actually know who I am, that I have a son. He's at this moment, 7.5 years old. He is my little man, the joy of my life, and he has one quirk that will make even the most steady come out of their skin if faced with it. He panics. The screams come out of the silence of the back seat, make your heart leap into your throat, or even better, into your lap. There is no ramping up, it's as if a balloon burst right next to your ear, and you had no idea it was even there.
A couple of nights ago we were in the home stretch of our nightly commute, and he was unusually quiet. I simply continued to drive quite sure that he was just tired from a long day at school and just didn't feel like talking. I was dead wrong. He had been wiggling his latest loose tooth. He moved it enough that the back part broke free from the gum. That's when it hit. At first, he calmly said, Oh, Mom, my tooth just came out. Wow! Great! I reached back and placed my hand palm up to take possession of one tooth.
That's not what I got. I felt something warm flow onto my hand at the same moment the screams started. No, the screams were NOT from me, but knowing what I was holding, the should have been. My boy was screaming like a banshee. The initial pound of my now startled heart was like a thud against a base drum and just as loud. Blood in my hand, a screaming child, a busy freeway. Find a happy place, find a happy place! Right after I fish around the floor between the front seats for some tissues.
When a child, especially your child begins screaming "I'm bleeding to death" you take notice and you are faced with a phenomenon known as fight or flight. Since I'm strapped into a moving vehicle, of which I'm in control, I had to fight. Trying to calm him down, maneuver over to an off ramp from the fast lane, and keep myself from screaming was all encompassing. I succeeded in accomplishing all three goals.
His tooth had not actually fallen out as originally thought, but rather it was hanging on for dear life by a thread of gum. Nothing could be done to remove the tooth, and having it still there was not what he wanted. Not by a long shot. Here we go again, the shhhh, and calm downs started for the balance of our drive. Pulling into the garage could not come soon enough.
Once home, we regrouped inside, and he promptly asked, in an eerily normal tone, if I wanted to pull it out. Um, excuse me? Not 15 minutes ago, he was sure death by bleeding was eminent, and NOW he wants me to pull that sucker out? Who is this child?
Needless to say, after a few fumbles, that tooth was extracted only to bring on more cries and bleeding. Oh jeez, really? If I could have crawled into that bottle of whiskey I have in the cupboard....but I digress. Mission complete. Tooth was now ready for placement under the pillow. He was rewarded with a dollar and I climbed into bed utterly exhausted. The things we do for our children.
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