A Bloody Father's Day Boy Moment
Submitted by A Blessed One on June 21 1999 at 00:31:58
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I looked forward to the first Father's Day that Blessing and I would share with the legal blessing of the state. It was a fun day to start off with. We, and a friend of his (Cupid) went swimming, bike riding, hitting the ball, and playing. It was a good Father's Day, with all the joy and love one could hpoe for. Then the true nature of fathering set in. Blessing's eyes became severely irritated from chlorine. I spent an hour washing his face and hair to keep any further chlorine from entering his eyes, and the flushing his eyes with prified water, then wrapping them to keep the light from causing further irritation. A couple of hours later he said he was feeling better and I took off the wrapping. The redness had cleared and he could see fine. He and Cupid decided to go bike riding. Just minutes after they took off, Cupid came running in franticly hollaring that Blessing is hurt, Blessing is hurt. I tore out of the house and could hear him screaming. After running a hundred yards to get to him, I saw blood everywhere, hands, arms, legs, and clothes. He was frantic and I was getting that way. He was standing, and I picked him up (cradled style) and ran back to the house (the addrenaline was intense). He had srapes all over his precious little body and the side of his head had a knot and was bleeding heavily. I am thankful for my first aid and CPR training and encourage everyone to be certified. After examining his head, and putting a cold compress on the minor cuts that were bleeding (and how head wounds bleed). Then I cleaned and bandaged the remaining wounds. Once his head stopped bleeding, I put some antistetic antiseptic cream on it. My poor baby laid his wounded head in my lap, still crying. It was all I could do to comfort and console him and remind him not to be embaressed by his tears. My mom and I told him of the way I had busted it on a bike o couple of times. Finally he giggled a little. I brought him home and rechecked his bandages. He's laid down to go to sleep, and I am left to remain awake to check on him from time to time. A lot of people have a dreamie happy happy view of fatherhood, and a lot of it is like that. But, there are the times when we must be disciplinarians, mechanics, counselors, and quasi-nurses. It is in these times that the true nature of fatherhood (including being an AF) comes to light. Fatherhood, at is essence, is being able to set aside one's own desires, weaknesses, squeemishness, and preconceptions, and to do whatever must be done to ensure the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical wellbeing of the precious wonderful gift of childhood that God has entrusted to our care. I never got told happy Father's Day today, but the look of trust and need and renewal in Blessing's did tell me I'm happy you're my father today. I use to close all my posts with a simple statement that I haven't said here in a long time. It seems appropriate today that I say it again. I love MF (Blessing) with all my heart and mind and soul. |