‘What was she doing, I thought. And that idiotic screeching!’
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Every month a mother talks about the moment in motherhood when things went completely wrong.
Laura (32), mother of Anna (12):
“On a sunny day off, I really went for the Perfect Mom award. Anna was five at the time and we had gone from the petting zoo to the playground, then stopped at the ice cream parlor and stopped by grandpa and grandma on the way home. At home, she ate the healthy meal I had cobbled together without a fuss, because I promised she could still play outside afterwards.
While Anna played ‘conquering land’ on the square with the boys next door, I cleaned up the dishwasher. Through the open front door I heard her howling with laughter. I sank into a garden chair with my well-earned cup of coffee. This was a day with a golden edge, I thought.
Wrong lot
Alas, a few seconds later I hear an icy scream, followed by wild screeching. Obviously my daughter. I ran outside, where Anna was sitting on the floor screaming. No matter what I said, I couldn’t get a word out of it. I lifted her up, but she looked like a runaway hyena.
“A few seconds later I hear an icy scream, followed by wild screams”
Finally she pointed to her wrist, where I noticed a tiny wound. I thought she was acting and asked if she would please stop that idiotic shrieking, a little chilling would probably help. I ran her wrist under the tap, but she continued to cry. Slightly irritated, I tried to grab a plaster from the cupboard behind me. But when I turned around again, I saw a huge swelling. This was wrong. We had to go straight to the emergency room.
Also read – This belongs in a first aid kit for children >
First aid
Three hours later she had her arm up to her armpit in plaster. The doctor’s assistant had said laughingly when registering that you didn’t have to be a doctor to see that this was broken. Fine. I really needed that comment to make me feel even worse. To buy off my guilt, we went into the ice cream parlor for the second time that day. The owner immediately understood me when I said ‘do the biggest’, pointing to my poor girl’s plaster arm.”
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