The Call
May 12, 2005
It’s the phone call that every parent dreads; that their child has been injured. Earlier this week my brother-in-law called me at work to inform me that my daughter Zoe had an accident. Apparently after grabbing something from the basement, my brother-in-law forgot to close the door tightly. Moments later my daughter — on her plastic car — wedged her fingers into the crack of the door and tipped her car down on the first step.
She then fell down a flight of stairs (13 to be exact) as her car carrened down the edge. After tumbling face forward she landed on the concrete at the base of the stairs. My brother-in-law heard the noise and rushed to the basement door almost tripping down the stairs himself as he rushed to her aide. He immediately noticed that Zoe was crying as she pushed herself up on her knees. He grabbed her, checked for any damage and then called 911.
I arrived at my inlaws with that empty stomach feeling. As I parked the car and walked to the front entrance I passed the ambulance and my heart sank. Just the sight of an ambulance, no matter the predicament, always sends me into a quiet frenzy. As I approached the front door my wife came out of the house with my daughter Zoe in her arms. I breathed a sigh of relief and listened as she spoke with the EMT about taking Zoe to the hospital even though they didn’t think there was any severe damage.
For the next 5 hours, my wife, Zoe and I sat in a cold hospital room watching Spongbob and The Incredibles as we waited for the Doctor to make her rounds. After a few visits we were informed that they would need to observe Zoe for a short time to see if a CAT scan was needed. A few more hours of waiting and the verdict was in; Zoe seemed fine and we could go home.
There’s an old saying about how parenting is a lifelong commitment and how true that is. I’m beginning to understand the virtues of being a father; the joy of watching your child come into their own, the wonderment of it all. It’s truly an experience that’s both surreal and beautiful. Yet, there’s also the most important aspect of this commitment; the constant worry that your child is safe, no matter how close or far apart you are.
20 comments
I can really understand what you were going through — you’re so right when you say that its the call every parent dreads.
All good wishes for Zoe — I hope she’s OK
by Jon Hicks on May 12, 2005 at 11:37 am. #
Jon: Thanks Jon, I appreciate your words. At the moment she seems to be just fine; her typical chirpy, odd kind of self.
by kartooner on May 12, 2005 at 11:49 am. #
It’s funny you should mention this, as I was just thinking about it the other day when my wife asked my why I always go through the trouble of putting on my shoes (instead of just sandals or flip-flops) when walking down to the mailbox with my son, and I realized that it was because I wanted to be able to run fast if anything happened.
It’s amazing the ways in which your brain changes after you have kids. I think I changed more in the first six months than I did in the ten years before.
by James Archer on May 12, 2005 at 12:16 pm. #
i don’t even know what to say bro. that so hard.
ive been through some scary moments with my boy too, and i know that terrible feeling in your stomach that you describe. keep your head high man… sounds like you’re doing a great job and that she’s gonna be ok.
by kris on May 12, 2005 at 12:18 pm. #
My neice is becoming a Dare Devil like her uncle. I hate to say it, but expect more of this stuff to happen. Remember EVERYTHING we did that Dad and Grandma went through. The golf clubs hitting me in the head that you threw, my thumb being cut off in a magic trick performed by the Great Erik/Kartooner, the bike accidents, the fights that would send one of us practically to the hospital.
Come to think of it, most of my injuries included you in some form or another. ::sigh:: Good times.
by Matt (brother) on May 12, 2005 at 12:20 pm. #
I’m sorry to hear about that Erik. I’m glad that she seems to be okay. It seems like everybody has an incident with stairs in their childhood. I tumbled down a concrete set myself.
Not to be Mr. States the Obvious, but I’d imagine being a parent has had a drastic impact on the way you think about your own parents.
by Greg on May 12, 2005 at 12:21 pm. #
As I said yesterday, good to hear she’s alright.
by Michael Heilemann on May 12, 2005 at 1:01 pm. #
All I can say Erik is thank God she’s ok! I’m sure she’ll be fine in the long run too.
by Todd on May 12, 2005 at 1:21 pm. #
Aw man, the joys and perils of parenting…
However it’s good to hear she’s OK, thank goodness.
This reminds me of my own childhood and the lots of big, stupid injuries I went through yet somehow survived to tell: Got scalded on my chest at age 2, missed half of one of my front teeth at 10 while riding a bike, kissed the pavement countless times while doing so, and lost a couple fingernails when my beloved brother shut the door with my fingers in the wooden frame. Man, the things I made my parents go through. I can only wonder what they felt like on those moments. I’m with Matt on that.
by beto on May 12, 2005 at 1:27 pm. #
It’s amazing how being a parent completely changes the way you read and relate to the world. Reading your post, I literally held my breath while I scanned ahead to see if she was alright. As you know, my daughter’s name is Zoe too. Just reading that Zoe might have been hurt caused my heart to squeeze then beat faster.
It’s horrible to know that my kids are going to do to me what I did to my parents. That phone call will come. There’s no doubt. I refuse to cling to my kids because of my fear. I wonder how I’ll react when the call comes…
by Peter Flaschner on May 12, 2005 at 1:27 pm. #
It’s good to hear she’s OK. My wife and I don’t plan on having kids, but for some strange reason, reading this made me want to have a child. I have no idea why. I guess it’s because there’s something deep down in all of us that wants to protect what’s important to them, and what’s more important than your own child?
by Bryan Peters on May 12, 2005 at 1:37 pm. #
Wow glad she is ok. My now 7 year old fell off our bed once, knocked her silly. Was absolutely petrified for about 5 minutes, then she finally came to.
by Spence on May 12, 2005 at 10:28 pm. #
Glad to hear everything is alright. Expect to get a larger present from the brother-in-law this year during Christmas.
by Scrivs on May 12, 2005 at 11:47 pm. #
Glad to hear she’s ok!
by J Bosworth on May 13, 2005 at 3:21 am. #
Erik, glad everything is okay. She’ll be alright though. Just look at me. I’ve fallen down dozens of flights of stairs.
by Fernando Dunn II on May 13, 2005 at 8:34 am. #
Thank goodness she is okay. Hope you didn’t get too many grey hairs from the ordeal.
by Max on May 13, 2005 at 9:24 am. #
man, do I know how you feel. My daughter is 18 now. She tripped tonight going down the stairs. I was in the basement working, when I heard and screen and the bump, bump bump on the landing. I cleared by basement steps in 3. She was fine, but I still react as though she was 9. You never forget the sound of your daughter’s cry.
Greg
by Greg Rollins on May 14, 2005 at 1:23 am. #
Good account of what every parent feels like when their child is hurt or injured. What can I say as a Grandfather to Zoe I’m so happy the little tike didn’t break something or damage her mellon.
Keep up the good job of writting the day to day experiences, I’m proud of you.
As I close perhaps a prayer or special thought for all those parents whose grown children who have died in Iraq fighting for what they believe in…which should be respected regardless of our individual opinions on the war.
God bless these parents because they have given the most along with their children.
Dad
by Dad on May 14, 2005 at 1:33 pm. #
Peter is so very right. As a parent to a little toddler I know just how heart breaking it is to see them upset or hurt, even when the poor little things are teething you feel for them, young children are so innocent… I think in many ways that is what makes it so upsetting for parents.
by Nathan Pitman on May 16, 2005 at 6:20 pm. #
[…] 4 years of writing, off and on, about a variety of things such as odd thoughts, close calls, success (and failure) and other things now relegated to the archives, it’s time to switch […]
by kartooner.com » Turning the Tide on March 23, 2007 at 9:14 pm. #