It all started with a little obsession. Weed eating. My son had made a deal with his father; a video game in exchange for weeding around the house. This was a big deal. Hunter became the very definition of hyper focused. I would never have guessed that, as a parent, I would have to tell a child to stop doing a chore but he was obsessed.
No, Hunter, you may not weed eat in the rain with an electric weed eater. No, Hunter, you may not weed eat at the crack of dawn. No, Hunter, you may not strap a flash light to your head and weed eat in the dark.He was freaking out. Late rains in the season and weed eater malfunctions were tripping him up. He was sure that the weeds he had already whacked were growing again. Finally, all things combined in his favor and we let him back at the yard. The problem, once he started he wouldn't stop. We were trying to keep him hydrated, and make him eat. We finally had to pull the plug and make him stop. He was very upset.
I consoled him by sending him to the shower, one of his favorite ways to calm down when overstimulated, and telling him to get a snack when he was finished.
He took his shower and headed straight for the peanut butter. He and his oldest sister are obsessed with peanut butter, they could both eat it all day. She, however, is much taller and to preserve it for herself stashes it on the top shelf of the cabinets in the kitchen, high above the counters. Hunter is used to jumping up on the counters to reach it.
This time his aim was off. He gouged his head on the cupboard corner. Heads naturally bleed easily and his hair was still dripping wet from the shower. Blood went everywhere. Screaming filled the house. It should be mentioned that Hunter, in addition to ADHD, is very obsessive. In fact, he has self proclaimed "safety issues." This is the boy that told me he saw the jaws of life on a TV show and thinks we should get a set for the trunk of the car "just in case."
This is the wrong child to have blood pouring down his head.
We spring into action. Mark, the first aid guru, goes to look at the wound. Fernie is trying to help calm Hunter down. Jaren, who has quite a history with stitches, is lending his support. I am trying to find my shoes, phone, keys and thinking about how long the ER wait is going to be for a minimal head wound on Memorial Day.
In the mean time I catch wind of an argument brewing. Hunter's two oldest sisters are arguing over who is going to the ER with him. Rachel is complaining that Mariah always goes. It's true, she does, she hates worrying about people that are hurt and not being there to know what is going on. Waiting is bad, waiting at home feeling helpless is worse. Consequently, she has been present at nearly everyone in the houses traumatic moments. It is a favor, really, to all those that would have to sit at home with her and endure her freaking out if she were left home.
Rachel, is so socially deprived by living in the secluded foothills, that the ER on Memorial Day seems like a great way to interact with society. Clearly, I need to get her into town more.
I hesitated to take them both, the last time I did that was when Rachel went for torn ligaments. She was so annoyed by her sisters inability to wait that she tried to safe surrender her to the workers in the ER. "Is there an age or size limit on the safe surrender?" Rachel asked the man at the admissions desk. He looked very supportive and understanding as he started to explain the policy. "Cause, I want to surrender her." she said as she pointed to her then 16 year old sister.
Both girls are now following me around pointing out why they should be the one to go with and how they have Hunter's best interest at heart. Mary runs by with electrical tape. Mark is applying direct pressure. Hannah is serving up cheese cake and peanut butter, feeding the traumatized masses. Mary is looking for paper towels. The girls are still arguing. I don't think Hunter wants either of them to come at this point.
He wants his Dad and Fernie. Fernie, went with us when he had to have his eyelid stitched up because he ran into another scout. Fernie, attentively talked about different weapons for hours while we traveled to the ER for that set of stitches and kept Hunter calm.
I keep telling to girls to stop arguing, it doesn't matter who is going at the moment. I am trying to call a friend who is a nurse to see if she can look at it. I am thinking, I really don't want to go to the ER on Memorial Day, spend hours at the bottom of the injury totem poll, and contract some other evil illness that is waiting patiently for me there.
Mary announces that she has fixed the cupboard, making it safer. Hannah, hands me cheese cake, that is my weakness, definitely a comfort. She hands Hunter cheese cake and a huge spoonful of the elusive peanut butter. The girls are still arguing.
Donna, the nurse, answers the phone. Thank goodness, she had just gotten home to our remote neighborhood, divine timing for sure. The girls are still arguing as we pull out of the driveway to have her check his wound. It is small, Mark tells me, but a little deep.
Thank goodness she was home, she spared us an ER visit with sound advice and good instructions.
No one went to the ER. Mariah didn't have to worry. Rachel missed the stimulating social interaction, but lived. Hunter's head stopped bleeding and he happily ate his peanut butter.
Everything went back to our normal dull roar of chaos. Soon you could hear me say, "No, Hunter, you may not weed eat with a head wound."
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