independence day

It's not completely unusual around here these days, but today I awoke to the sound of Kai crying. But this was a little different, somehow more intense. I heard Erin attend to him and attempt to soothe him. Then I heard the door open.

"Honey can you help me? Kai is bleeding and I can't tell where it's coming from."

I'm on my feet instantly.

There's blood in his mouth. We can't tell if it's from his gums, his tongue, teeth or what. We run into the kitchen where my heavy-duty Maglite is so I can get a better look at Kai's mouth. Somehow, he tripped and bumped his face in such a way that he has a cut right by the frenulum in his upper lip. It's the piece of tissue that connects his upper lip and his upper gum, right dead center up in that archway where you gums and lips meet. It's bleeding profusely. He's screaming. Profusely.

The bleeding did stop, and he did calm down. His mouth is still a bit sore, which is to be expected. We just chalk it up as a part of growing up, a rite of passage.

And yet, the sight of my own child's blood is unsettling. And it's the second time I've seen it in a week. Earlier he tripped while running around and got a bloody nose. Minor stuff, but disturbing to see nonetheless. It's cliché, but as a parent I try to find a balance between protecting my son from harm and yet allowing him to experience and learn from the world. Sometimes that means shrugging my shoulders when he eats popcorn off of the living room floor, and sometimes it means sitting at the end of the bleacher row so he doesn't dive off of the end. I know I can't protect him from everything, and that he is going to experience cuts and bruises, but that doesn't make it any easier.

I spent the afternoon doing basketball drills with Isaac, and then Grandma Marsha came over and we had a delicious family dinner. We watched "No Country for Old Men" — well, Isaac and I did. Erin fell asleep halfway through it. It was a very good movie, but I can't blame her for falling asleep. It was quite an Independence Day for mom and her youngest dependent.