This has been a really intense week. A tree branch fell on #authenticson, and we spent hours at the ER getting five staples in his head to close the cut. I’ve spent three days slowly cleaning dried blood out of his hair when he’s distracted by the TV. All obligations have fallen away, and all my husband and I have wanted is to be near this little guy. It’s amazing how quickly he bounced back (no brain trauma at all, thank goodness), but we are humbled to know a few inches this way or that, and we could have lost our whole reason for living.
This picture is from the day after the accident, thumbs up to show Grandma he is A-OK, but as you scroll down, you can see the red line on his head that turned our week upside down. The staples come out on Friday, and he will fight that event every step of the way, but I am looking forward to it. I feel like this was his warrior’s test, an unexpected ritual of manhood, and he passed. No longer a little boy.
I wanted to reinforce the idea that this life-changing experience was one of bravery and triumph for my son.
A couple of times he said, “I never should have gone with Papa today.” But I quickly corrected that story to let him know that none of the blame for the accident belonged to him. And I passed along to him what a wise friend told me: “He will never forget that day. How he faced this traumatic event and was victorious is now an important part of his story. Plus he now has the guardian spirit of the Tree.” His face lit up at the thought of his triumph, and I told him how proud I was that he got through that awful day. Even though it was hard, he still got through it. He was less excited to think of the tree as his guardian spirit. (But maybe later it will mean something to him?) Instead he made an angry face and started growling and shaking his fist at the tree spirit. An understandable response.
You never know which days will be the ones that change your life forever. I’m thankful that for us the change was ultimately a happy one.
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Originally published on https://authenticmensjewelry.com/2019/05/08/an-unexpected-ritual-of-manhood/
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