The Hurt Cry

We as mothers quickly learn to decipher types of crying from our children.  There is the mad cry, usually leading up to a temper tantrum.  There is the hungry cry, blood sugar is low.  There is the dirty diaper cry, no one likes to sit in their own mess.  Then there is the one we all fear and hate.  The hurt cry.  I have been in a group of mothers, sitting, kids playing in another room, and the cry goes up and at least one of says, "that's a hurt cry."  I don't know if this is a learned behavior, something we are born knowing or some kind of gift from God.  We just know when it is a "hurt" cry and we go to investigate.

It could be minor, a scraped knee.  It could be major, a broken bone.  We never know until we find the child, examine the situation and make the needed adjustments.  Broken bones require a trip to the ER and then to the orthopedic surgeon.  One huge suggestion I have is to get the water proof casts.  It usually costs a little more, but find an ortho that offers it.  Totally worth it, no stink.  Your kid can take a shower, go swimming, whatever.  No funk in the cast.

As a mother of four, I have seen stitches, several broken bones, and one emergency appendectomy in the middle of the night.  That last one, I went with my instinct and just took him into the ER and after taking blood (four hours later) they rushed Tyler to the operating room and took it out about fifteen minutes before it burst.  Always trust your gut.  My opinion is this; it is always worth your co-pay if you are wrong.  That being said, I have never been wrong.  From ear infections to the appendix coming out, never wrong.  Mom's know these types of things.

One doctor thought I was crazy because Tyler had pink eye and I made him check his ears.  I was told that one had nothing to do with the other.  I repeated to just check his ears.  My, my, my, I was awarded the "gold star mom" award from this doctor, I was right, he also had an ear infection.  Amazing, the doctor is with my child ten minutes and by some stroke of luck, I the mother, who is with him 24 hours a day, know him better.  What a freak of nature I am.  Not.

Mom's know.  I think God gives us special radar or whatever to discern the difference between hurt and mad crying.  And everything in between.  We are the ones who hear the small sick cry in the middle of the night and bound out of bed.  We can do this because we know our children better than anyone on this earth.  Sometimes, we doubt ourselves.  We read a book or a doctor gives us a look and we begin to doubt.  I say, take back the mom power.  We know best.  

See, horror of horror, our moms were right, Momma knows best.

God bless you and yours.