A Mother’s Strength: Dealing With Injuries

[52 weeks of Personal Genealogy & History Prompt:  Illness & Injuries…This doubles as my Fearless Females post for 13th of March, A Moment of Strength]

I wasn’t injured very often as a child.  At least, most of injuries were mostly due to my siblings rather than my own stupidity.  Always blame the siblings!

This prompt made me think back to when I was 7 years old.  My brother was building a tree house in one of apricot trees and I was assisting him.  He was 3 years older than me and already handy with tools.

My Mom yelled for me to come it to take my bath.  I wanted to hurry so I’d be done it time to watch Hogan’s Heroes, which I thought was hilarious.

I climbed down to the lowest branch and jumped.  I landed right on a nail sticking up out of board that my brother had left on the ground.  The nail went through the sole of my tennis shoes through the bottom of my foot.

I was in a rush and I didn’t want to seem like a baby, so I yanked the board out.  Then I ran to the back door leaving a trail of blood behind me and thinking my Mom would never notice.

When I went in side, my Mom immediately noticed my trail and rushed me to the bathroom.  My shoe was filled with blood.  She tended to the wound in her calm, brisk manner.  My wound was taken care of, I took my bath, and then the next day I was driven to the doctor for the precautionary tetanus shot.

My brother was so angry with me.  After my Mom tended to me, she called him in and he got a scolding.  My brother was angry that I told on him.  He thought I should have climb back up the tree and perhaps arranged an alibi.

I  remember that incident as if it were yesterday (and it wasn’t, believe me!)  I mentioned it awhile back to my Mom.  We were laughing over my brother’s reaction.  Then my Mom share something with me.   She may have been calm as she tended the wound.  But, after she shooed us away and sent us to the doctors, she fell apart.  Her nerves took over and she would shake uncontrollably.

I bet their were alot of Mom’s like this.  Emergencies happened, they tended to whatever child was injured in a professional and calm manner, and then later lost it.  They maintained that aura that everything was going to be just fine.  Deep down in side they wanted to cry along with you.

I learned a couple of things from that incident.  Never leave nails sticking out of boards.  It’s no fun at all ripping them out of your foot.  I also learned that when it’s necessary a person can draw on something deep down inside of them that allows them to do what is necessary like tend a wound.  They get through it and leave the crumbling for later.