The Stovebolt Forums Forums The Front Office The Greasy Spoon I'm on Grampa probation.

I was letting the 3 year old jump off my lap and onto a bean bag chair. She loved it the first three times. But then she over jumped and face planted on the hardwood.
Blood everywhere. It wouldn't stop.
Her mom took her to the ER. Nothing broken but she'll have a shiner in the morning.
I feel like a monster.

Ouch! That's being a kid. She will get over it and so will Grampa. Ya gotta let um grow. Bet she won't do it again. Hope mom gets past it.

grandkids forget, and forgive, very quickly....but not sure about the mom

I look back 50 years, when all us as children ran around unsupervised constantly in danger's way. Yes we got bumps, scrapes, and broken bones, but nobody died. Were we lucky? Maybe, but probably not. Instead, we more likely learned how to avoid the dangers of everyday life by living through it. Now we are over-protective of our kids, and they won't learn the hard lessons of life since they won't be living through them.
Carl

The worst part is that mom probably got the third degree when she took the kid to the ER. They really grill you to make sure that it was a legitimate accident and not some form of abuse.
We went through that when our daughter was little. She fell down some stairs and broke her leg. When we took her in we were barraged with questions till they were convinced that everything was on the up and up. And that was 35 years ago--I can only imagine what it's like now.

Today they are called helicopter parents. They hover over the kids. But that is changing quickly because mom and dad are more interested in their electronic tablets than watching their kids.

Everything checked out OK. Doc said a 3 year old doesn't have anything breakable, nose wise.
Mom is definitely not a "helicopter parent". She's a West Texas gal, brought up in a cafe run by her grandma. She's a k3per.

I think you are okay as the little one wont remember and I am sure she still loves you. She most likely thinks you are the fun grandparent.

The only problem is the jokes you will have to endure for the rest of your life. Years from now, I bet it will come up at family gatherings.

Don't worry Jim. A couple of years ago I was watching my 6 month old grandson and was carrying him to the couch when I tripped over his blanket and face planted the poor kid into the end table. Bloody nose, black eye, cried for about two hours straight, trip to the ER. Had to be one of the worst feelings in the world. We're best of buds today.

Bob

This reminded me of an incident that is a little off topic. When my son was about 7 or 8 I took him and his same age cousin to a playground. They were having a big time climbing up on the 'fort' and jumping about 6 feet to the ground. I then noticed other kid's mothers fetching them and leading them away while glaring at me. Soon mine were the only kids on the fort and there were glaring mothers all around. Some people just won't let their kids have any fun.