Phew

Yesterday scared the crap out of me. Olivia got in a ATV accident with her cousin. One had the throttle and one had the steering. One freaked out and let go and the other freaked out and didn't let go of the throttle and they hit Grandpa and Grandma's camper head on. Steve said Olivia's head put a dent in the fender of the camper and the four-wheeler did some damage to the side of the camper as well. From the kitchen window, I saw Steve running towards the camper and the two kids on top of each other and I ran outside as fast as I could to see what happened. Olivia was screaming and crying and her nose was bloody and blood was coming out of her mouth. Her face was puffy and already bruising. THANK GOD she was wearing a helmet. THANK GOD she did not lose consciousness. THANK GOD that she did not break her neck or worse. But her poor little face. The left side is very bruised and her lip protrudes further than her nose!

Steve feels awful. I feel awful because I told him not to let them do it. So now I bite back my I told you sos because I know he feels terrible. But I couldn't hold back my motherly instinct to save the baby. Forgetting all common sense or nurse sense, I picked her up out of the mess and tore up the steps with her to safety. Nevermind that her neck may have been injured? Come on Mom! Anyway, this whole scene made me very very thankful for my little Livy Lu and even more thankful that things weren't worse. Growing up in Pomeroy, I saw kids driving pick ups on the farm that didn't even have their permit yet. They drove tractors and farm equipment, ran mowers and whatever else was lying around. In town, we were lucky to ride in the front seat of the Crown Victoria.

Neither mentality is right or wrong, it's just different. So Steve and I have always butted heads on this subject. I always feel like a psycho for protesting, and so I back down. But even we can agree that if we let the kids do these things, we've got to do better. Things could have been so much worse than a ruined four-wheeler and a damaged camper and a banged up face. Steve knows this now and so do I. And just a gentle reminder here. Helmets save lives. Absolutely. 100%. Thank God she was wearing a helmet.

Our lesson was learned yesterday. Be ever vigilant. It's ok to be a crazy mom of safety. Put the nerdy knee and elbow pads on them. Pad their butts with pillows. Put on a HELMET. Whatever. Appreciate the babies. Protect them. Love them. Even if I'm overreacting, yesterday scared the crap out of me.