Yesterday did not exactly go as planned. We spent the afternoon in the ER getting some stitches. I never thought I’d have to bring my 18 month old in for stitches! I figured we still had a few more years before this kind of thing happened.

While the injury of a child puts a lot of stress and fear in the child themselves, it’s another world of fear for the parents. I kept myself calm and collected the entire time for Ryder’s sake. Now at 18 months he picks up on my emotions. But inside I was absolutely losing it. It’s incredibly hard to see your child in pain and not be able to make it go away.

I’ve been around broken bones and severe lacerations before. I’ve been trained in first aid and concessions. But I’m one of those people where everything just went out the window when it came to my child. I couldn’t tell if the wound was deep enough for stitches or not. I was so panicked my mind just wouldn’t process anything. I wasn’t sure if an ER visit was a must or if I was being dramatic. Now looking back at the pictures I took of the injury, I realize in my right mind, it was definitely a deep cut that required an ER visit. So even in my parent panic mode, bringing him to the ER wasn’t dramatic, it was a good choice.

I hope we will never have to go through something like this again. However, I am logical….I have a boy. It’s bound to happen again. So I’ll pray that god will give Ryder the strength he had this time to be tough through it and not be overly scared. And to give me the strength to keep my composure for Ryder and hopefully give me a clear head to think.

After that stressful day, a few minutes to myself just collecting my thoughts and trying to relax was a must! 🛁