Owies, Booboos and Bumps, Oh My!

Owies, Booboos and Bumps, Oh My!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Christina Montoya Fiedler: Sana, sana colita de raña. A si no sana hoy, sanará mañana.

Translated from Spanish, this childhood saying loosely means, "Get better, get better, little frog's tail. If it doesn't get better today, I hope it gets better tomorrow." That, combined with a big, soft hug, usually makes even the worst owie all better. It's something my grandmother and mother said to me when I had a scraped knee or a bonked head and now I find myself reciting it to Joe.

While Joe is still very young, he's becoming more mobile, and therefore getting himself into some sticky situations. While I caught him before he completely rolled off the bed the other day, there have been times that he manages to do complete face plants while practicing his scooting. Other times, he takes a serious tumble from one position to the next, while mastering yet another new skill -- sitting up. These booboos are a natural part of growing up for Joe and for me they represent entry into a new stage of motherhood.

I could cover the apartment in bubble wrap, sand down all sharp edges and corners, and have Joe wear a helmet and knee pads at all times, but I'm not. As a mom, it's hard to see your baby go through any pain at all - this from the woman who barely made it through her son's first set of shots without bawling.

There will be many times that Joe will inevitably get hurt in life. I'm sure he'll get stitches at some point -- as most boys do. His father had his fair share. But I cannot be afraid to let him be a child. I must fight the urge to be that over-protective mother, and just let him be a kid. It's a fine line that us mother's must walk.

And, there won't be just physical owies that he must handle. There will be ones of the heart as well. I cannot keep him from getting teased on the playground, or from experiencing the pain of heartbreak, no matter how much I may want to, because these are all experiences that shape us into well-rounded adults. Pain is a natural part of life, unfortunately.

What I can give him is love, support and that ever-so-underestimated tool -- motherly advice, to help him get through the tough times. Our hope as parents is to create an open environment where our child feels comfortable coming to us with his problems, his worries, his feelings in general, and is not embarrassed but rather knows we are here to help.

In the meantime, can someone get us some Band-Aids?

Christina Montoya Fiedler resides in Los Angeles, CA, with husband Andy and her son Joseph. She juggles baby and work from home as a freelance publicist and attributes her strong love for life and sense of humor to her loving familia.

2 comments so far | Post a comment now >>

Oh do I remember Sana Sana Colita………… When ever I heard my Mom recite that to me, I knew the pain was just about to disappear. I do the same for my kids. Its totally me, over protecting them and wanting to placed foam on the walls, strip the house from any foreign bodies that might cause harm to your child. And, yes, I did do the Helmet with my son. :) LOL He wore it the first week of his walking and this I took it off. I got a bit better with my daughter. However, occasionally, they will remind me that I cannot always protect them from the experience. That’s reassurance to me that they indeed pay attention :) All, I can say, is that one day, these wonderful kids of ours, just might recite those wonderful words to us too. Sana….Sana….. :)

- Laura-Whateverebay

Posted 04/11/09 12:52 PM

It’s natural to want to protect our kids from all harm and I try my best to not let my child get seriously injured. The occasional bump and bruise though are learning experiences. Yesterday my daughter (almost 3) got her first “serious” injury which warranted a doctor’s visit. She tripped and fell and sprained her ankle. She refused to walk though which was concerning. The doctor said typically for children this young they just need a doctor to tell them they’re fine because it’s a new type of hurt for her. A day later she’s walking and running around but has a limp and sometimes she complains but my response to her has been to keep going because it will get better. My philosophy with her in regards to falls and hurts is to not make a big deal of it, often times that means saying, “get up it’s okay” and going on with our activities. And it’s allowed her more time to focus on the fun than on whatever short term pain may be happening. And even with “major” injuries like a sprained ankle I’ve done the same thing, “Yeah it hurts but come on lets play” and she’s still having fun even with a limp.

- Pamala

Posted 04/11/09 04:01 PM