Staying calm when they need you the most

I had one of those days yesterday which turned from a really awesome, productive day into a parents worst nightmare….

I don’t helicopter my children. I let them play and explore our house. It has been child proofed for a number of years now. I speak to my children about the dangers of things like doors and driveways on a fairly regular basis. We have fairly simple rules in our house – no climbing on furniture, no playing with doors, the usual kind of thing.

Yet I turned my back for literally 30 seconds yesterday. Walked back into the house to find my 4 year old girl on the floor crying. I asked what happened and then she held up her hand – which was pouring with blood… My son had accidentally shut her thumb in the door!

I took her straight to the bathroom because at this point I couldn’t even work out where the blood was coming from. I asked my son to just sit down and wait patiently. I asked my husband to grab the first aid box (Thank you BooHoo Box!!)

Then I washed it and I saw the damage done. A quick clean and pressure bandage and off to Kids First we went.

I didn’t even think. It wasn’t until I got in the car that I started to think about things like damaged tendons, broken bones, life without a thumb on her right hand…. 

Thankfully there will be no lasting damage if we look after it from here. But man, was I freaked out for a bit then. The doctors and nurses both thanked me for my quick thinking as I saved them a lot of work by keeping it clean and putting pressure on it and getting her there quickly.

Which makes me ask – how do you stay calm under pressure? Because for me I didn’t even think about it, and for my daughters sake I am grateful for this.

My favourite white top is probably a write off but I can live with that. Especially if she keeps full use of her thumb…. Unless anyone knows how to get set blood out of clothes?

So today we are having a quiet relaxing day.

Please remind your children – Doors are more dangerous then they look!