Back in the summer, my 4 year old daughter, Jojo, accompanied me to a gig my fiance was playing at a local rodeo. We were waiting around for them to get sound check over so we could go eat something and the most horrible thing happened. There were these poles-metal about 1 1/2 inches in diameter-created a fence around the place. The girls, my 13 year old was there too, were sitting on them and swinging and stuff like that. I didn't think anything of it. Out of nowhere Jojo starts screaming bloody murder. Owwwie, owwie, owwie! I looked back, already in flight or fight state, to see her clutching her hand with her index finger in the air. It looked fine. I figured she must of jammed it some how or something. I didn't know. All seemed safe to me. I was examining the finger and Jojo was still letting the owwie owwie owwie choo choo chug down the tracks loudly, when Alex exclaims, "Oh my gosh mom look!" I leave the wounded Jojo to go look at the tiny hole where my youngest daughter had just inserted her finger. Inside that hole is a nest of yellow jackets-pissed yellow jackets. I suddenly realize that Jojo has just suffered several stings on her one tiny little finger.
My heart bleeds for her and I, being out at a soggy, muddy rodeo grounds try to figure out how to be a Supermom and fix her. Mommy instincts kick in; I realize we have some baking soda in a box in the back of the car from moving stuff out of our old house the previous week. I take her to the bathroom-owwie owwie owwie-and make a paste out of baking soda and water, apply it to her now somewhat swollen, red finger, and explain that she needs to keep it elevated. I carry her out and we go sit int he stands where my fiance's band is still sound checking-they can sound check for ages, I think it must be a skill. As I sit with Jojo, holding her, comforting her, the band manager comes up and tells her, "That's right Jojo they are number 1!" We giggle a bit and I tell him what just happened to her and I see it in his eyes; his heart bleeds. Everyone loves Jojo; what can I say I make beautiful baby girls!
So mean Mommy kicks in and I start asking the evil question that no kid wants to hear when they have just figured out that something innocent can go horribly wrong and leave you in pain forever, "What did you learn from this?" She sniffles and says, "Not to stick my finger in holes." I add, "Holes you don't know." My 13 year old thinks this is hilarious and we all giggle a bit. Needless to say, Jojo survived, number 1 finger intact, and is a fine, virile being today.
It got me to thinking though. How awesome my kid is that she was not afraid of the unknown. She didn't second guess putting her finger in that hole. She just stuck it out and went, whole heartedly, into the great dark abyss. Yes, she got stung-literally-but she wasn't afraid to try! Suddenly I started thinking about how many implications this could have if everyone led themselves into the unknown finger first. Think of the scary movie industry-how many naked beautiful girls would survive if they just stuck a finger around the corner instead of their heaving naked bodies. Just stick out their index finger and maybe wiggle it around as if asking "Hello, are you there big scary wierdo?" Sure some index fingers would get chopped off, but I'd rather lose a finger and live than take multiple stab wounds or worse to my corporal person.
Yes, I have decided this is the way of the future and it all came from a 4 year old kid.
Go, go into that dark unknown abyss-BUT-go finger first!
My heart bleeds for her and I, being out at a soggy, muddy rodeo grounds try to figure out how to be a Supermom and fix her. Mommy instincts kick in; I realize we have some baking soda in a box in the back of the car from moving stuff out of our old house the previous week. I take her to the bathroom-owwie owwie owwie-and make a paste out of baking soda and water, apply it to her now somewhat swollen, red finger, and explain that she needs to keep it elevated. I carry her out and we go sit int he stands where my fiance's band is still sound checking-they can sound check for ages, I think it must be a skill. As I sit with Jojo, holding her, comforting her, the band manager comes up and tells her, "That's right Jojo they are number 1!" We giggle a bit and I tell him what just happened to her and I see it in his eyes; his heart bleeds. Everyone loves Jojo; what can I say I make beautiful baby girls!
So mean Mommy kicks in and I start asking the evil question that no kid wants to hear when they have just figured out that something innocent can go horribly wrong and leave you in pain forever, "What did you learn from this?" She sniffles and says, "Not to stick my finger in holes." I add, "Holes you don't know." My 13 year old thinks this is hilarious and we all giggle a bit. Needless to say, Jojo survived, number 1 finger intact, and is a fine, virile being today.
It got me to thinking though. How awesome my kid is that she was not afraid of the unknown. She didn't second guess putting her finger in that hole. She just stuck it out and went, whole heartedly, into the great dark abyss. Yes, she got stung-literally-but she wasn't afraid to try! Suddenly I started thinking about how many implications this could have if everyone led themselves into the unknown finger first. Think of the scary movie industry-how many naked beautiful girls would survive if they just stuck a finger around the corner instead of their heaving naked bodies. Just stick out their index finger and maybe wiggle it around as if asking "Hello, are you there big scary wierdo?" Sure some index fingers would get chopped off, but I'd rather lose a finger and live than take multiple stab wounds or worse to my corporal person.
Yes, I have decided this is the way of the future and it all came from a 4 year old kid.
Go, go into that dark unknown abyss-BUT-go finger first!
