Belly Up

My poor poor son had a spill today. The timing of it was exactly and terribly perfect. I was outside chatting with the new neighbor while the kids played on a rare clear afternoon. My oldest has just recently (like 2 days ago) determined he is ready for his big bike. He began owning his two wheel bike. It was fantastic!

This kid has been in therapy for nearly a year to work on some sensory issues he’s got. This milestone is pretty big for us

So i take the opportunity to chat with the new normal neighbor while our kids rode bikes. My son was very proud of himself. (both of the neighbor boys are on two wheels) Im in the middle of chastising myself for interrupting and over-sharing when I see flailing out of the corner of my eye.

We have a driveway that is flanked on two sides by a drainage ditch running the length of the street. Its a mossy, rocky 2/3 ft ditch. The boys were all riding in a cluster out of the driveway when the youngest boy rode right towards my kid. My kid – who hasnt mastered going from a hand brake to a pedal brake – tries to stop, cant, and ends up head first in the ditch. Helmeted head first. I look over and all i see are flailing feet, and legs sticking straight up out of the ditch.

I gallop over, my daughter starts crying, then my son starts screaming. I leap down the side in my flip flops and all i see are his giant blue eyes wildly taking everything in. The bike is on top of him and his hand is on the chain. He begins shrieking and I pull the bike up, off and out in one move, simultaneously righting his lanky body.

At this point the neighbors are shrinking away and apologizing. Im trying to stifle how impressed i am with myself acting so quickly and turning into Mr Incredible, and check out the kid. He seems fine. Nothing broken or protruding. I bandage his two tiny scrapes as he limps back outside like an amputee.

We make it back outside and over to the neighbor’s for apologies and forgivenesses.

My kid gets whacked in the head with a basketball by the same child.

It was not his day.

Im proud to say the evening ended with zero limping and all the kids playing in our backyard . Hopefully tomorrow will be significantly less exciting.