I am in love with the town I live in and for the most part everything about it. But as a mother I have to complain about some of the adults around me and their lack of caring and compassion.
Around 3:50pm I received a frantic call from my 14 year old that no mom wants to hear. “mom, I think I hurt myself” I ask him how bad it is and in a shaky voice he replied “I think I cut open my chin, I fell off my bike and there is blood everywhere”. Luckily he was close to a CVS so I told him to go sit in front of the store and I’ll be right there. I also told him to go into CVS and ask to use the bathroom to wash up if he could.
Since I didn’t have my car and it’s over 100 degrees I set into panic mode. So I dropped my youngest off at a neighbors and ran as fast as I could to my oldest baby. I grabbed a hand full of towels and a clean shirt as I ran out the door. I never knew my fat little legs could ran as fast as they did that day!
It took me 15 minutes get there and my heart dropped seeing my baby sitting all alone on the bench with his arms covered in blood and tears streaming down his face. It took all I had not to cry in front of him but I knew I had to be brave to keep him from panicking. Then I saw it, there he was, his perfect beautiful chin cut wide open and bleeding. I knew instantly stitches would be needed.
I ran into the store and bought some water and clean gauze and began cleaning the wound and washing off his arms and hands. I called my hubby and mil and they both came to pick us up and help. We ended up in the ER. Over 3 hours, a few tears and 3 stitches later we were home.
Once the exciting wore off I began to replay the afternoon in my head and that’s when I became angry and sick to my stomach! My poor baby, my 14 year old little boy spent 20 or so minutes covered in blood, with an open wound on his chin, all alone with out one person asking him if he was ok! NOT ONE PERSON! I saw at least 20 or more people walk in and out of that store in the 20 minutes I waited with him for my hubby to come and no one checked on me. I am an adult and was still in panic mode and could have used help. I can’t imagine being a young man all alone, bleeding and having NO ONE check on me!?
When did it become ok not to care or look out for one another? Why are we so busy that we can’t even check on and help a hurt or injured child? Luckily my son had a phone on him but with out it no one would have helped and he would have had to ride home, along a VERY BUSY STREET, scared, bleeding and hurt! Shame on all us adults who don’t check on someone in need. BE it someone crying who just needs a kind “are you ok, do you need to talk” to seeing a kid fall off their bike and making sure they aren’t hurt and asking “do you need me to call your parents” or “would you like me to wait with you until someone comes?”
Life is too short and too fragile to not care. I just hope others will take the time to stop and help and just care. I know after last night I will never be the same and will always offer myself to anyone I see in need. I just hope I will never have use the “I don’t know” to answer another one of my boys when asked “why didn’t any of the adults around ask if I was ok, didn’t they care?” Because the honest answer is no they didn’t but they should have!
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