Because he was chicken

I woke up yesterday and for the first time in weeks we had nothing planned until football run throughs at 6 pm. The weather was a bit cooler, no humidity, and the children were getting along. It was going to be a perfect day. Sarah Katherine was sleeping in for her last week of summer and the other three children went out to ride bikes. I was alone, drinking coffee, reading the paper, catching up on laundry and getting showered--all at a very leisurely pace.

I looked out the window and saw Christopher carrying the skateboard ramp down the street. "Taking it to the dog park", he shouted. It never occurred to me to ask why--mistake number one. Twenty minutes or so later Caroline and her friend rush into the house to tell me that William is hurt. "Is there any blood?" "None at all" they both respond. Relief floods over me (mistake number 2) and we walk over to the dog park. William is sitting on the grass and he tells me his neck and head hurt. I ask what happened and Christopher responds for him, "He was riding his bike down that hill and went up the ramp. It was so cool Mom he did a one and a half!" Where's your helmet, I ask. Caroline chimes in, "we weren't wearing them because we were on grass." [For anyone counting, you will realize that the true mistake number one was me not going outside to make sure they had on helmets. It never occurred to me they wouldn't--it's a cardinal rule in our house.] Having experienced several broken bones with the children, I think to myself "I need to make sure he can move his neck" Here ends my counting of mistakes because as most people know you NEVER move a neck injury. But--I did and he could move it although he was clearly in pain. I check him over and find no obvious injuries minus a scratch on his chest. "Let's go home" I say. And, yes, I let him walk with no help from me.

Somewhere between the five houses we had to pass I do decide that I should just check in with his pediatrician, so I come in and call. The nurse answers and as soon as she hears he landed on his head without a helmet she calmly but firmly says, "Hang up and take him directly to the emergency room. Take him only to the children's hospital. We'll call ahead and let them know you're coming." I interrupt to tell her that he seems fine because he can move it. I'm very certain that she rolled her eyes and thought about the idiotic woman who would move her injured son's neck, but God bless her, she just said, "Please do not allow him to move it again."

We get to the ER (after scooting around numerous one way streets) and wait our turn. The receptionist seemed very nervous about the patient in front of us, so I thought to myself she must be really sick. They swoop her back and put a hair net thing on her and then start disinfecting everything. You see, her father brought her in for lice! (I tell you this as proof that I was not the craziest person there!) They look up, see us and clap a collar on William's neck without a word. Obviously the nurse from the doctor's office has called ahead and warned them about the crazy mother who moves her child's injured neck.


The doctors come in, examine William and decide he needs neck and chest x rays. This takes a bit of time but remember I had nothing to do that day anyway. The good news is there are no broken bones; the bad news is they can't be certain of ligament damage for 7-10 days. At this point they tell us he has to stay in the collar without taking it off for even a bath. The reality sets in for William and he realizes that he won't be playing soccer for at least a week if not more. He begins to cry. The doctor was fantastic and gently explains to him all the things that could go wrong if he reinjured the neck. It seemed that William understood because he calmed down (meanwhile I am thinking about just having him in a padded room for the next week) William's calmer so the doctor begins to lecture him on wearing a bike helmet. I must admit I am feeling a bit guilty and defensive--it probably showed as every time he paused to breathe I would insert, "I always make them wear it but I didn't see them get the bikes out today" After I said this for the third or fourth time I realized that what I was basically saying was, "I always make them wear a helmet when I bother to come outside and check on them instead of sending them out to play so I can read the paper and drink coffee in peace." This epiphany shut me up!

The doctor turned back to William (I think he thought if he didn't make eye contact with me I would be quiet) and asked him why he rode his bike down a very steep hill onto a skate board ramp without a helmet? "Well", says William, "my brother Christopher wouldn't do it." "Why not?" says the doctor--I think we were both thinking that he was going to tell us because he was dared or Christopher said it was too dangerous. William smiling proudly replies, "He was too chicken."