Being a Parent Hurts Sometimes

I recently suffered a really intense knee injury at the hands on my toddler. I was bending down in the kitchen when my son ran in and jumped on my back. He caught me totally off guard. I fell forward not wanting him to get hurt we ended up landing on my knee. It was swollen and felt as if something was dislocated but I do not have the luxury of time to go to the hospital or doctor for something as trivial as my knee. It hurt or should I say it hurts. This happened a few weeks ago now and I still feel a little pain. The incident got me thinking, I really need to be careful this dude is dangerous. But, it also made me wonder how many other parents have had injuries from their babies and toddlers?

By far this is not the first injury my son but certainly my worst to date. I've had hair pulled, been bitten off guard while I was walking because my son wanted to try out his little teeth, I've been knocked in the face, head butted and scratched. Okay, the scratching is probably my bad but it's so tough clipping those little nails. One time, I was certain that he had broken my nose from a head-butt.

When my son was a baby he had a biting stage. It was awful! I was a bit scared of him then. This is an abusive relationship at its best. I keep going in for more because I love him. But, I know he's gonna hit me again. With babies and young toddlers we parents are up against flailing arms and legs plus a language barrier. While he was going through the whole "surprise biting thing" In his mind my yells of pain probably seemed like excitement and he needed to do it again. I know what you’re thinking he was just teething and wanted something for the gums. Come on now, don't you think I thought of that? This kid wanted flesh! I asked in forums and looked around for help with the biting but everyone treated it as if they NEVER had a problem like that with THEIR baby. Whatever!

Frequently, people talk about the financial, emotional or mental strain of parenting. What about the physical? After searching on the internet for a while I hit paydirt. I found  Mothering.com in the forum post it has a few parents sharing their stories on their injuries. In the words of rapper Ludacris "guard your grill".  Sometimes it hurts being a parent but it's just part of the job. I love being a mommy and my son is amazing! Every injury large or small is worth it and this stage will pass. I just wish it would hurry up a bit.