Just ask Riley, he knows.

It had been a long day, James took Riley to his fencing class, so I could relax. I slipped into my flannel, santa jammie pants, and a long sleeved tee-shirt. I grabbed a snack, and settled down to do some serious TV watching. Kadin and Layla asked to go to the park behind our house, since we are at a dead-end street, the park is literally in our back yard, I gave them the thumbs up! One of my favorite TV stations is Discovery Health, I can’t help it, I am addicted to all the blood and guts, maybe because I am an ER Tech, maybe because it truly IS amazing what the human body can endure. So I had watched a bit, when Layla came back from the park, Kadin decided to play a while more. As I continued to watch the show “Trauma, Life in the E.R.” I had this strange sensation come over me. I felt like I needed to change the channel, like something bad was going to happen……not two minutes later…..Kadin comes crying in the house with blood running down his face!! I am not a panicky mom, so I set him down on in the bathroom, and give him some kleenex to hold on his head. Once the blood cleared I realize he had a dime size gaping hole between his eyes…..I have Layla get my cell phone. I call James and tell him that I am not WATCHING “Trauma, Life in the E.R.”, we are now LIVING “Trauma My Life in the E.R.” , and off we go. Kadin asks me if he will get stitches….I tell him, that I think so. He says, “out of a 100% chance……” I say, ” 99% “, he cries, and asks to call his brother. I dial up James and he gives the phone to Riley. ” Do stitches hurt?” Kadin asks. “Not as much as breaking my arm did!” Riley replies. They chat a bit, and Kadin informs me that Riley thinks stitches don’t hurt too bad, so all is good. Amazing!! One chat with a 10 year old can do that!! So by the time we get to the ER, Kadin is showing his gaping wound to anyone who will look, “I got whacked with a swing, and my head cracked open..” he says. The Er doctor tells him he will need stitches, and that he will need to get “numbed up” for it. Kadin says, ” that’s ok, my brother says it doesn’t hurt too much.”  I need to pause here and say that I wouldn’t be so calm if a doctor was coming at my head with a huge needle, ready to give me 3 shots directly into a gaping wound!! But, Kadin has so much trust in his brother’s words….(he did survive 10 stitches in his big toe after all), so he just lies there calmly, and when the doctor gives him the shots, he says, “well, that stung a little, but it really wasn’t too bad!” To which the doctor replies, “He has a high tolerance for pain, mom”….4 stitches later, and we are on our way home. Kadin is excited to go to school and show off his crescent-shaped, stitched-up, forehead. I think what surprised me most is that kids have a great belief in the words of those they trust. Whether it be, parents, teacher, or in this case a big brother. We are all blessed to have others who have been down life’s road ahead of us. There are always others to light the way, and encourage us. Sometimes all we need to do is ask.