Pride Goeth Before the Fall

Today the company Nelson works for hosted their annual Spring Fling. The memo advertised an Easter egg hunt, air trampolines, face painting, free food and lots more fun.

Nelson couldn't make it. I decided that the kids would love it so I took them.

The kids loved the egg hunt. We followed that with some time jumping and sliding on the giant air trampolines. The kids were laughing and grinning from ear to ear. My pride was growing in them and the fact that I had reached a point when I could do all this by myself.

The day was a hot and the trampolines were located out in the middle of a black parking lot which was on fire. At the end of one slide, I realized that we were all stuck barefooted with our shoes on the other side of the slide.

I ran with Dawson to slip on my sandals and buckle him in the stroller. On my way back to taking Mackenzie's sandals to her, I ran into the anchor wire for the trampoline and burned my ankle. I gave Mackenzie her shoes and carried Aiden back to the stroller to strap on his sandals so we could go in and get the drink he had been begging for.

That's when it happened. Mackenzie was running back to us and tripped over the same wire I did. She, however, landed flat on her face in the parking lot. She was bleeding in several places and crying loudly. My pride flew away and worry crept in.

I tried desperately to calm her enough to get her inside while buckling Aiden's shoes. Pushing the stroller and holding Aiden's hand alternating with Mackenzie's, I ushered them in to an overcrowded room searching for some first aid supplies. Aiden was overheated and begging for a drink. Mackenzie was sobbing and in pain. I was losing control.

When we finally pushed our way through the crowded room to the first aid station, I sat Mackenzie down for the first time to survey the damage. It wasn't until I was cleaning and bandaging the knee and elbow, that I realized she had a huge strawberry across her forehead.

Mackenzie was whimpering from the sting of the cleaning solution. Aiden backed her up, having been as patient as possible but still dying for a drink (which just happened to be outside back through the throngs of people we had just weeded through). And now Dawson joined the choir reaching for the candy laying everywhere around him.

By this time I was holding back the tears. How did I lose it so fast? How could one moment be so happy and the next so sad? Why did I think I could do this by myself? Why was I unable to hold it together in front of all these people?

A kind soul brought us all a drink and we sat at a table to take a break and have a snack. Bandaged, hydrated and fed, all were perfectly happy again and I was embarrassed that I had let the situation get the better of me.

I often expect my kids to be perfect in every situation. In most cases they really come close, but they are not perfect. Most often these imperfections pop up when I'm with all of them, by myself, in a very public place.

Mind you, I'm rarely embarrassed by my children. What embarrasses me is my inability to control every situation. I like people to be under the false assumption that I have it all together. Today I learned my lesson.

Pride goeth before the fall.