Both Missus and I subscribe to the Bezosian philosphy of letting the kids tinker around. I'm paranoid about road safety (especially because the danger there comes from others). But I'm reasonably intrepid in my tolerance for getting injured while playing or indulging curiosity.
As a result, Beckett is really good at monkey bars. She is obsessed with skipping 2 and then 3 and then eventually just jumping from the first to the last bar. She is further obsessed with turning every other apparatus on the playground into a monkey bar.
So one fine July evening, while using a zipline as a monkey bar, her hand slipped and she fell. About 10 feet. On a tan bark grounding. I was not there but Missus knew immediately that it was not a regular fall.
Dislocated Humerus, broken at three places. Writhing in pain Beckett. Inconsolable Missus. Yours truly was questionably calm throughout the whole thing and just wanted to confirm that there was no head injury.
Missed Calls, 911, ER, pain killer drip, anaesthesia, lots of anxiety, surgery, three pins in the elbow, a pink cast and two days in the hospital later Beckett was back home. In pain, but home.
Was incredibly grateful to get the right treatment in time. Was even more grateful that my Mom was here and taking care of Finch and that we have family & friends who we can lean on near by. It would've been very difficult otherwise.
The cast is now off and it'll be a few months before Beckett is doing monkey bars again.
I don't know how this whole incident will affect her dauntlessness. I hope it doesn't. Life shouldn't be lived worrying or being scared of something.
