A skinned knee

The Monkey has a skinned knee: a real classic of the genre. It's a beaut.

He got it from running, then tripping, then falling down directly onto his right knee. A thread of bright red blood welled up in the up-and-down running central scrape, but there were dirty abrasions all around.

Yesterday, he was sitting on a cardboard box, pretending to ride it a like a horsie. The box buckled, sending the Monkey onto his back...but not onto his head. His back and neck muscles were strong enough to keep him from a shrewd knock on the back of the noggin.

Long time readers of the blog might remember that the Monkey often equates falling down with bumping his head. After his fall from the cardboard box, he was a little upset...but I reminded him that he didn't bump his head after all. I told him how he used to fall down and bump his head all the time, but now he his all grown up and only falls down and skins his knee.

Soon he'll be all grown up and barely fall down at all.

It's all about the head

When we tell the Monkey about some new danger, he usually signals to us that he understands by patting his head. Sometimes he pats his head and says "ouch."

He is miming a repeated sequence from his own life experience, one where he falls down and hurts his head.

Point to the street? Pats his head. ("Cars could come by and give you a big ouchie!")
Warn him away from climbing the bookcase? Pats his head. ("The whole thing could come tumbling down on top of you.")
Reprimand him from the light socket? Pats his head. ("No electrical cords.")
Seeing a scooter? Pats his head. (I never had to say a thing; it probably reminds him of the notorious skateboard incident of two weeks ago.)

You get the idea.

Today in the grocery store, we saw a kid with a bike helmet that probably rode there on the back of his dad's bicycle. (The weather has been gorgeous lately.) Nico saw him, instantly divined the helmet's purpose, and patted his head.

I worry that if we get him a helmet, we will undo a year's worth of safety awareness. Oh, the paradoxes of parenting...