Kate Wicker

Storyteller & Speaker

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Brave Girl

While at the playground early this evening, I said to a friend, “My kids are falling apart,” referring to a tired toddler and a hungry baby, but it was five-year-old Madeline who really fell apart and has a big, blue cast to show for it. A tumble (that I didn’t even see happen) broke her arm in two places.

My brave girl earned her bragging rights and boasted to the grandparents, “I didn’t even cry!”

As for me, well, I blinked back the tears and somehow managed to keep the dam from breaking. But it wasn’t easy.

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· April 23, 2010 · · Filed Under: Child 1, Photos, Tales from the Trenches

Comments

  1. ViolinMama says

    April 23, 2010 at 3:16 am

    So sorry for this! I hope you had help!!! Poor baby, and mommy – but things like this happen and become badges of honors in the retelling for the brave warrior princess :) Can we sign her cast?

    We love you!! Sorry to miss today!

  2. Charlotte (Waltzing Matilda) says

    April 23, 2010 at 3:26 am

    My oldest daughter broke her arm the first time she tried on a pair of skates that I insisted she had to have! I know how hard those tears are to hold back! Good for you, Mom! On the bright side, it's such a pretty blue!

  3. Maggie says

    April 23, 2010 at 3:32 am

    What a grave little girl! I'm glad she's alright.. and I'm glad you are too!

  4. Muttering Mother says

    April 23, 2010 at 7:04 am

    What a beautiful smile! I know you won't let this little hurdle keep you out of the house :-) They teach us so much, don't they – my nearly 4 year old broke her collar bone a couple of months ago and her patience, trust and love was amazing to see.

  5. Kris says

    April 23, 2010 at 12:06 pm

    You were my first thought this morning after I saw your post on FB last night. Glad she's okay. Glad you're okay!! Can't wait to hear the story from her.

  6. Jessica says

    April 23, 2010 at 12:23 pm

    Oh, no, Kate! Glad Madeline is cheerful at least about it. Kinley says "Get Well Soon, Madeline!" and she wants to look at the picture over and over again.

  7. Melanie B says

    April 23, 2010 at 12:42 pm

    Oh no! I'm so sorry. Praying for you and your brave Madeline

  8. Bridget says

    April 23, 2010 at 1:40 pm

    Oh, poor Maddy! Tell her I'll be praying for her! (And for you, too!)

  9. Kate Wicker @ Momopoly says

    April 23, 2010 at 2:59 pm

    Thanks everyone! The brave girl slept well, and we had a great field trip today with our homeschooling group ( that included ice cream!).

    Also, I have to apologize for all the typos in the original
    post. My brain is definitely not functioning at full capacity. I think I corrected everything. :)

    Blessings!

  10. House of Brungardt says

    April 23, 2010 at 7:12 pm

    We haven't had to deal with that yet. I'm sure it'll come sometime. Poor girl! And poor Mommy!

    I bet she had fun showing off her cast today, though!
    Janet

  11. Maman A Droit says

    April 23, 2010 at 8:02 pm

    Brave girl and brave mommy! I have to fight back tears everytime they even do a finger prick on Baby, so I can't imagine broken bones! He's my first, so I'm sure I'll get tougher at some point, but I'd guess a mama always tears up a little when her kiddo's in pain, and I think that's ok-just a sign showing how much we care about them(although not feeling tearful is ok too-some people just aren't criers!)

  12. Colleen says

    April 24, 2010 at 1:06 pm

    And my oldest just told me yesterday that he wanted to break a bone in order to have a cast that his friends could sign – argh! She looks so sweet and brave, what a perfect combination!! Prayers for a fast healing!

  13. Joy says

    April 24, 2010 at 3:49 pm

    Sorry for the broken bone, yay for a brave girl and her mommy. Hope she continues to heal well.

  14. Lydia says

    April 24, 2010 at 6:37 pm

    Say congratulations to the brave girl for me!

    At least you didn't break the bone yourself. I gave James a greenstick fracture going down a slide with him when he was a wee thing. His leg got caught under my body. I developed a terrible blinding migraine pulling out of the parking lot to go to the ER – I literally made myself sick with guilt. I was such a shuddering mess when we arrived that I worried the ER people might call child services, thinking I was under the influence or somesuch… but apparently they had seen guilt-induced prostration before.

    The blue cast is very cool, and will hide dirt nicely!

  15. Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle says

    April 26, 2010 at 11:59 pm

    What a sweetheart!

  16. jennifer G. says

    April 29, 2010 at 1:44 am

    Oh no! It's definitely a badge of honor….I wanted to wear a cast SO badly when I was younger! I hope she heals well!

Hi, I’m Kate

I’m a wife, mom of five kids, writer, speaker, storyteller, bibliophile, runner, eating disorder survivor, and perfectionist in recovery. I'm the author of Getting Past Perfect: Finding Joy & Grace in the Messiness of Motherhood  and Weightless: Making Peace With Your Body.

I’ve tried a lot of things in my life – anorexia, bulimia, law school, teaching aerobics, extended breastfeeding, vegetarianism, trying to be perfect and failing miserably at it – and through it all I’ve been writing. And learning to embrace the messiness of life instead of covering it up, making excuses for it, or being ashamed of my brokenness or my home’s sticky counters.

Nowadays I’m striving every single, imperfect day to strike a balance between keeping it real and keeping it joyful.

 

“She could never be a saint, but she thought she could be a martyr if they killed her quick.”

―Flannery O'Connor

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