Feeling terrible

heretolearn_2

Don't feel bad. You didn't do anything wrong. Kids need the freedom to jump around and play like little loonies, you should feel sorry for the ones who are over-protected and don't get to play their daft games.

He's forgotten all about it, he'll love his bruise when he sees it in the mirror tomorrow, there isn't a kid on the planet who hasn't looked like an abuse victim at some time or other through some silly accident. We have a 'famous' family photo of my nephew aged 3 looking like he'd gone 10 rounds with Frank Bruno; two black eyes, whole swollen head, squished nose, graze right up one side of his face. Just from falling off his tricycle. Such is life.

Lirin

Faithcecelia, the first time I looked after my step-daughter, I nipped her fingers in the door. I felt so bad- but when I phoned my partner, he was alright- she was fine by then and had stopped crying. She didn't even remember about it playing later!
Since then, she's managed to hit, whack, bounce or crash into pretty much everything we have in the house. Feels like I'm always looking for a plaster- but looking back, my mother was on first name terms with the nurses in the local A&E department when I was a child.
It's part of learning- you can't wrap them up in cotton wool, and accidents do and will happen...

building_with_lego

heretolearn wrote: »

Don't feel bad. You didn't do anything wrong. Kids need the freedom to jump around and play like little loonies, you should feel sorry for the ones who are over-protected and don't get to play their daft games.

He's forgotten all about it, he'll love his bruise when he sees it in the mirror tomorrow, there isn't a kid on the planet who hasn't looked like an abuse victim at some time or other through some silly accident. We have a 'famous' family photo of my nephew aged 3 looking like he'd gone 10 rounds with Frank Bruno; two black eyes, whole swollen head, squished nose, graze right up one side of his face. Just from falling off his tricycle. Such is life.

The thing is, there are bruises and wounds that happen in accidents (bumps to the head, scrapes on elbows etc) and there are wounds that happen NOT by accident. *We* may think that our walking wounded kids look like abuse victims but healthcare professionals would/should be able to distinguish the two. To paraphrase my friend who works in the field: bangs to the head can happen by accident. Cigarette burns cannot.

brians_daughter

faithcecilia wrote: »

Due to an emergency, I have been on my own with the child I look after for a week, barring yesterday when he went to his dad's. It has gone really well, he has been good as gold and we have both enjoyed it.:)

This morning I was sorting washing and he was on all fours being a dog:p Suddenly I heard a whack and a scream as he turned round and hit his head/face on the wall:eek: A cold compress and big cuddle later he is bouncy as ever, but growing an amazing bruise. I feel absolutely terrible and am shaking still, even though it happened 2hrs ago:( Ive phoned his dad who was very matter of fact, these things happen, but I am devastated it happened in my care.

Cecilia, if thats the worst that happens to him then hes a lucky boy! I have lost count of the bumps, bruises and scrapes my boys have gotten into...infact if they are injury free my MIL asks have i wrapped them in cotton wool for the week The more fun they have the more war wounds they seem to have!

littlerat

building_with_lego wrote: »

The thing is, there are bruises and wounds that happen in accidents (bumps to the head, scrapes on elbows etc) and there are wounds that happen NOT by accident. *We* may think that our walking wounded kids look like abuse victims but healthcare professionals would/should be able to distinguish the two. To paraphrase my friend who works in the field: bangs to the head can happen by accident. Cigarette burns cannot.

Well... not regularly anyway; my mum dropped a cigarette on me when I was 5 or 6 and it bounced and burned me in 2 places:eek: Though quite minor of course as it was only contact.

Although not as bad as the time I was playing with the cigarette lighter in the car and pressed it into my finger to see if it was hot Good god that hurt. Don't remember how/when, but I do remember the pain!

heretolearn_2

It must be very hard to decide if an injury is an accident or not though.

I've been at A&E 3 times in the last couple of years (after never ever going, having a really klutzy phase) and for the last two injuries the doctors were quite adamant that they couldn't have been caused in the way I said. One doctor even said 'we only see this if someone's been kicked by a horse or someone's deliberately stamped on their hand.' and was quite pushy about how it happened. I'd fallen off a chair, which he clearly didn't believe at all. Probably sounded like a ridiculous excuse to him, but it's true. I wonder if I'm now flagged up a suspected domestic abuse victim, so I'm being extra careful now.

dizziblonde

Kids fall over and bang into things (as does my husband apparently who managed to end up in A+E loading the washing machine once)... one of the best bits of childhood is having a whacking great bruise to show off or scabby knees to pick... added fun if you can find a terrified friend to gross out with a huge big scab you've managed to pull off.

Mind you I've been known to confide in kids before that one of the best bits of primary school is getting to peel PVA glue off things when it dries as well - used to get most cross when the class monitors cleaned the glue spreaders properly and spoilt all my fun!

Lirin

I was always klutzy. I'm blind in one eye, and really, really had no spatial awareness as a child. I carried a near permanant bruise on the right side of my face from genuinely walking into doors- always misjudged.... Got that bad at one point all five of us carried a bandage of some sort- mine was the biggie- I'd stepped on half a glass milk bottle.....