A Mistake
Sometimes warnings on things seem so ridiculous. One of my favorites is the warning that the “contents may be hot” on the lid of the coffee that I just ordered.
Once we became parents, it was hard not to notice the warning labels that are on nearly everything you might use for a baby. Perhaps like me, you didn’t give them too much notice. Maybe you even thought those warnings were for negligent parents who needed the reminder.
Recently, I was reminded that even children of careful parents have accidents. A friend had her sweet baby fall from up high while sitting in an infant seat. There may have been a time that I would have gasped and wondered how on earth that could happen when the mom was standing close by. After being a parent for nearly seven years, those judgmental thoughts thankfully come less frequently.
It was a little over three years ago that I made a mistake that could have seriously injured my baby girl. Fortunately, we had a happy ending just like my friend.
I’m reposting these words from my personal blog. This originally posted in May of 2008. I share this post both to encourage those who’ve had similar experiences and to caution those that think warning labels are just for neglectful parents. None of us are perfect. Most of us are sleep deprived at some point and don’t always make the best choices. I speak from experience that accidents can happen, though some can be prevented. Why not learn from my mistake!
I sat down intending to write about my crazy experience at Big Sister's gymnastics class. Let's just say that at the time my hands were a bit fuller than my heart. However, later this afternoon, something happened that nearly broke my heart.
Big Sister went down for a nap just as Little Man was getting up from his nap. I was looking forward to the special time with Little Man. He wanted to swing, so I quickly gave him a snack and fed Baby Girl.
After I cleaned up Little Man and changed Baby Girl, we were ready. I put Baby Girl in her car seat and set it in the middle of the kitchen table. Then, I got distracted by Little Man and we headed out the door. That was my mistake.
I pushed Little Man in his favorite swing. Five minutes later I headed back into the house to make sure that Baby Girl had fallen asleep. What I found still makes me sick to my stomach.
Baby Girl's car seat was tipped over in the middle of the table, but she wasn't in it. Instead, she was laying on the floor screaming in pain. I scooped her up and grabbed the phone. The pediatrician sent us to the Children's Hospital Urgent Care.
Fortunately, the story has a happy ending. A scan showed that she was fine. Praise God.
But, as we answered the different questions at the hospital, a few words kept making me feel sick to my stomach all over again.
"She wasn't strapped in and..." the nurses and doctors all said to make sure they had the story right.
All I could do was acknowledge what had happened and hope I didn't start crying.
I did something I know not to do. In my carelessness, I endangered my child. How could I?
As I've pondered this tonight, I'm close to tears. I'm so very grateful that God watched out for my baby even when I was distracted. I'm so glad that He is bigger than my carelessness.
But, I know there have been mamas with similar stories that don't have happy endings. These are the stories that make the news. They are the same stories that used to have me shaking my head and thinking "how could that mama ______!?"
No more. Tonight, I will be praying for parents who've had their children injured, or worse, due to carelessness. I've no doubt the majority of them love their children and meant them no harm. My heart breaks for them.
At the same time, I'm going to hold my Baby Girl and once more thank the Lord for His sweet care for her. This world is full of sadness. I'm so glad today had a happy ending.
*I hesitated to post this because I worried that others may judge me. But, the fact is lives, including my own, are full of moments we wish they weren't. We all have things we wish we'd done differently. So, I've decided to post this with the hope that anyone who reads this would pray for the children and their families whose innocent mistakes resulted in stories without the happy endings.