My Little Girl's Daddy

I must admit that I'm really not feeling the holiday spirit this year. It's not hard to figure out why either. The Wife has been sick. The kids have been sick. I've been sick. Well, it got much worse today.

The Wife called me at work, a place I haven't been near as much as I need to be lately, to let me know my little girl had fallen. Abby wouldn't move her arm and The Wife was wondering if she should take her to the doctor or wait.

The next call was from the doctor's office. They said Abby had popped her shoulder out of joint. The Wife said my girl was crying for her Daddy. An hour later I met them at the specialist that was suppose to pop her shoulder back in place but they needed some x-rays first. I carried my little girl into the room and held her while they took the x-rays. The first few went fine until they told me to pull her arm across her chest.

I hesitated. I knew it was going to hurt her. The x-ray tech started to do it but I knew it was my job. I waved her off. As I grabbed my daughters arm, I said all the things a parent tells a child just before they hurt them. She begged my not to touch her arm. She screamed. I kept talking to her and looking her in the eye. I was afraid if I lost eye contact I wouldn't be able to look at her again. As quickly and as gently as I could I slid her arm over. It wasn't quick enough nor was it gentle enough. The x-ray tech took the shot. My daughter was crying, "no more, no more. "

I wrapped her back up in her blanket and carried her like a baby back to her mother. I was able to press my face into her blanket on the way back to dry my own eyes. The x-rays revealed that her arm was not out of it's socket. Instead, her arm was broken in half, up high, just below the shoulder joint.


Sometimes I don't think you realize how much you love someone until you see them in pain. And when you're the one inflicting that pain, out of love, it reminds you just how tough of a job being a parent can be. After I sat her down in the exam room, I put my face up to hers and told her I was sorry. As I leaned forward we bumped heads. She made a little pucker shape with her lips so I leaned in and let her kiss my forehead where we had hit. As I pulled away she gave me all the smile her little face could muster. I guess being the child of a parent can be a tough job as well.