In my job we spend a lot of time defending corporations and insurance companies against people who do ridiculous things, hurt themselves, and then look around for someone to blame. I've worked on it all: falls from balconies, accidents at water parks, idiots at railroad crossings and in go-carts. I could go on and on. Sure, there are definitely times when the company really is to blame, when a product is defective, etc. but so often it's just somebody doing something stupid.
All that to say, yesterday we met Kyle's cub scout pack to have Kyle's Pinewood Derby car cut out at a guy's house who had a workshop with all the tools, etc. - he also had a trampoline in the back yard. I immediately went into panic mode, Kyle has not been on a regular, outdoor trampoline before and Kyle is an emergency room magnet! I mean I was trembling with fear watching one of the other kids bounce around, do flips, etc. Kyle could not get out of his shoes fast enough. He was so excited and I was such a downer! This trampoline was just so scary to me - it didn't have one of those net things around it, it wasn't that far from the cement of the basketball area and the other kid has a mom who is...uh...less attentive to what her kids do than I am. It was a horrible situation to be in.
I certainly didn't lead a life of ultra-safety...we jumped on trampolines, even jumped from the trampoline into the neighbor's swimming pool, rode dirt bikes, ran wild at the river and swam in sandpit lakes that we had no business being in. But darn it all, this is my kid! He runs headlong into every activity with such wild abandon then seems perplexed when things fall down or are knocked over. I could just picture him landing on that concrete.
Sigh - I became the trampoline safety monitor. I positioned myself between the trampoline and the concrete so I could stop any kid from flying off (right, like that would have worked!) and started spouting off rules about "no dog pile" and "hands to yourself" and I don't know how many times I admonished some boy to stay away from the springs. BUT - Kyle got to jump and jump he did. He didn't try any flips or fancy tricks - I think he saw I was really fearful of the whole situation and everyone survived. Whew!
And the Pinewood Derby car is going to be very cool!
3 comments:
I am very curious myself about how these years will play out with Brianna.
While I'm careful with her, I also let her go and she's come up crying a few times when she falls over too hard.
While I understand this is part of learning for her, Brian gets livid. I think he would rather put her in a body suit made of bubble wrap!
I can only imagine what the future holds for us in "trampoline" situations! haha!
I'm with you, big trampolines are scary and dangerous!
I have taught teenagers for 6 years and I've lost count of how many have been injured on them!
Good luck being the "mean mom"
that must be soooo hard letting go enough of your child to allow them to risk hurt, whether physical or emotional or otherwise. I still detect my own mother--as I'm about to turn 40 in April--finding it hard to let go of me enough to see me hurt even now. :)
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