Monday, June 19, 2006

Monday Memories...two black eyes!


No, I'm not talking about black-eye peas.

Our oldest is visiting with us this week so it has prompted many a "do you remember" story?

We had gone out to "Cracker Barrel" and as we waited for our meal, I asked her if she remembered the time she got two black eyes. Fortunately, she doesn't remember but she has seen the pictures of the incident.

We were living at a Christian boarding high school in Miller, South Dakota. We lived at the school, ate our meals in the dining room with the kids, and were with kids or faculty all the time. ( It's probably the closest thing to living in a goldfish bowl that we have ever had to do.)

Our two little girls were 3 and 18 months. One of their playmates was a little girl named Sarah who was hearing impaired. Sarah was 6 and liked "being the boss" of the younger children so she came up with "the games" they played.

Sarah was pulling grrrlmeetsworld in our red wagon. Long story short, the wagon fell over and Grrrl landed on her face causing a big bump on her forhead right between her eyes. I really believe it was an accident but since no one witnessed the incident, it remains somewhat of a mystery. Immediately the big bump on Grrrl's forhead starts getting bigger. ( Yes, we did the ice thing immediately, and yes we checked the child all night long for a concussion.)

The following morning she was fine except for two black eyes!

We were teased that our 3 year old was wearing too much mascara ( with her little racoon eyes!) Wouldn't you know it.....all that week on the news they were asking people to call in anything suspcious that would appear to be child abuse. We just knew someone would report us as abusers!

By the time Boy Wonder was born and became "the terror of the neighborhood" we were used to bruises. You could play dot to dot on his legs where he had fallen and gotten scrapes and bruises. He had a unusual gift for falling in the parking lot on his face, when ever we scheduled a family portrait.

They get their "grace" from me.....the girl who couldn't chew gum and walk at the same time! Why should I be surprised?

Have your kids ever gotten suspicious bruises or scrapes that you felt like people would suspect you as a child abuser or at the least a very poor mother?

20 comments:

rashbre said...

I am sure we all know that some of our injuries of childhood are best left innocently unexplained.

Good that beyond the gothic raccoon look there was no other damage!

Enjoying the falling daisies!

And here via Michele's- Hiya!

rashbre

Anonymous said...

Hello, Michele sent me.
What a great childhood story. TWO black eyes at once?! Too much mascara. HA!

When my sister and I were little, we got a kitten. He was playful and scratched us a lot with his dagger-sharp claws. Sis and I went to the pediatrician for check-ups one day and the doctor accused my mother of scratching us. My mom explained we had just gotten a kitten, but the doc said "I'd like Catheroo to explain how she got the scratches, not you." Yeesh!

Crayonsetc said...

Suspicious bruises and child go hand in hand. :) Of course my child has had more than one. I have the best picture of her after she fell down the stairs at dh's aunt & uncles. It looks like she is covered with makeup, but it is bruises!!!

Stopping by via Michele this afternoon to say Hello!!!

OldLady Of The Hills said...

I don't have any children...but, I fell once about 12 or 15 years ago, and I hit my cheek on a piece of wood the was sticking up...(I was lucky I didn't fall hitting my eye!!! THAT would have been really horrendous...) I rushed down toi this Walk-in Clinic to make sure I had not done anything really terribe besides almost poking my own eye out...By the time I got there my cheek and around my eye had swollen very badly and was beginning to turn black/blue/purple...The way they talked to me I know they thought that I had been beaten and abused and was just not telling them! It isn't funny but it is certainly interesying how the mind works, isn't it?

And BTW: As you said...I'm still sticking to my Silver Streak! (lol)

Melli said...

Oh yes! My eldest daughter broke her arm and one time -- and I refused to believe it was broken because it didn't swell! But she moaned and groaned until in a fit of exhasperation I took her to the emergency room where they assured me she did indeed have a fracture in her growth plate! (how small did i feel?)

And then my youngest daughter had stitches in her head and burned her hand on the exhaust pipe of daddy's tractor within just a couple of weeks time... the doctor actually started "quizzing" me on my kids injuries when the burn happend! But I was glad he did and told him so! It made me feel very reassured that he did indeed have my childrens best interest at heart!

FRIDAY'S CHILD said...

That was a fun memory to look back to. Yes I do had incidents like this when my son was at the age of going to school already. It was embarassing by it was beyond my control. They could just ask the child outright.
My Monday Memories is up too.

Sherri said...

my girlie is such a girlie girl she is so careful when she plays and seldom even gets dirty...so no black eyes to report here, but there was a funny incident last summer. She had forgotten to spray herself with bug spray before walking home from school one day and got several mosquito bites on her legs. And she just can't help but it them and then they baloon up. In the evening she was kicking the soccer ball around in the yard with my hubby (and you've never seen anyone so careful about not getting hit by the ball as her), but it did hit her calf one time...I guess on top of one of the bite. Well it has swollen a bit the next day and we had headed to grandma's for supper...grandma was so worried she took her to the doctor and practically demanded an antibiotic. The doctor said there was nothing wrong...she insisted there was as a bump like this was very unusual for our dolly...he x-rayed and everything. I remember worrying that grandma (my mother in law) thought I was a bad mom cause dolly had this bump...in the end it was nothing and just went away (more quickly once she quit iching!)

Sherri said...

sorry...she doesn't 'it' her mosquito bites...it's 'itch'...gosh I should proof read before I post! :)

Ramblins of a middle-aged goddess said...

Hello nice story about your oldest. My MM is up but the stupid font is all mixed up. I tried and tried to fix it up but it just would not work so I finally give it up...Take care and you two have fun....

Jennifer said...

My kids also had that uncanny ability to batter, bruise, and bloody themselves just before family portraits. And, yes, there have been times when I was tempted to make the kids wear long pants instead of shorts so people couldn't see those poor, purply-spotted legs!!! Theyseem to all have inherited the klutz gene from me!

Anonymous said...

I think all kids end up with a black eye or some kind of bruise in their lifetime. Mine sure did! Even the girls who I think thought they were boys when they were growing up. :) They did whatever their brothers did, so along with the playing came the ouches!

My MM is up.

Ladybug Crossing said...

My LLB is notorious for bruises. Just a couple of weeks ago - when we were on the 5th grade overnight - she got bruised doing an activity. She looks like she's been beaten. Her teachers were so upset because she got so bruised up!! At least they know I didn't do it - I was off at the airport getting Mr. Bug when all that happened. I think the teachers thought I'd be mad. She bruises easy...

That said, a roll of TP fell on Grambug's head last week - it bumped her glasses and gave her a black eye. So attractive for our long awaited anniversary dinner... Then, she was moving furniture with Grandpa Bug and smooshed her fingernail. I guess that's pretty ugly, too!

See, it runs in the family!
LBC

MaR said...

Oh, I remember those years! sometimes I think I was getting all the dirty looks because of the way my son looked, there were childhood incidents, I never touched him, not in the way to cause him pain, bruises or even (chin) stitches...!

Mother of Invention said...

Nice to have such fun remembering! I still do that with my elderly parents! Michele sent me.

YellowRose said...

I ended up with all kinds of injuries because I played softball! And I had two blackeyes once, due to a shattered nose that required plastic surgery so I cann relate. My folks just always said, "there she goes again."

Great memory! Sounds like you are having a great time with the daughter!!

craziequeen said...

ah, kiddies and their bruises....

Usually fixed with a kiss and a cuddle :-)

My MM is up - finally [swears at blogger under breath]

cq

Norma said...

A fun story to recall, even if it caused worry at the beginning of the tale.

Thanks for visiting my MM.

Susan said...

Yep, with four boys, we have seen our share of scrapes, cuts, and bruises. I remember the legs that looked like they had been through battle...and used to think "what will the neighbors think?" I know that for those children who ARE abused, it's good there's more awareness...but in some ways it's sad that it's made some of us jumpy...know what I mean????

Renee Nefe said...

right before Darly's first birthday she was cruising around the coffee table, holding onto the bumpers that were attached. Then she fell, but kept holding onto the bumper...which caused her body to swing into the coffee table. Nice bruise on her cheek, right before I wanted to go get her picture taken!

Not too long after that...walking she decides to climb into her umbrella stroller backwards and stand up...of course it tipps over and she lands face first...this was right before a doctor's appointment. The doc checked for loose teeth...she was fine.

And Darly doesn't want me to tell you my last story as she is standing her reading everything that I type. and now giggling.

srp said...

I had the habit of falling off my bike. Big gashes. Mom wringing hands. What will the knees look like for Easter? Then the scabs form and it looks like all will be well, but...

Fall off the bike, knock off the scabs. More wringing of hands, more bandages. I go back out, ride some more, fall off the bike and knock the bandage off.

The bike was locked away until all knees healed and scabs were gone.

 
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