Please tell me I'm not the worst parent in the world

On Sunday we were at a birthday party and got home a little late. DS usually goes to bed around 7:30, but by the time we got home and picked him up some food for dinner, he was eating around 8 or so.

So, I was getting DS's high chair ready for him to eat his dinner. DH said that its finger food, let's just let him eat it in the living room watching TV.

DS has a tendency of loving to climb up on anything available to him. We have a coffee table in the living room that he is forever up on, watching TV, playing, whatever. We used to constantly take him down and tell him no, but he just wasn't getting it. He'd fallen off of it a couple of times, but never got hurt. Finally we just sort of gave up. Let him up there.

Well, this particular evening, he must have been eating, watching TV, not paying attention and he stepped off of it. DH was in the living room with him, I was in the kitchen. I hear him start screaming and run in to see DH picking him up from off the floor. He was screaming bloody murder and totally inconsolable. We check him all over, and he was moving all his parts and stuff, not favoring anything. We put him to bed after rocking him (he never gets rocked) because we assumed he was overtired, which is why he was freaking out. He woke up again around 11:00 and DH rocked him back to sleep again. He tossed and turned all night.

Woke up at like 5:30 like a shot, then fell back to sleep until around 7:30. Again, we checked him. He wasn't crying or anything, still moving all fingers and toes, but kind of favored his left arm. He would use it, but not a lot. We decided to take him to the ER because we thought maybe he had a bad sprain or something.

We get there, they take an xray and tell us he broke his elbow! And he might need surgery!!! We had no idea. I felt absolutely awful. After 6 hours of waiting, they finally told us no surgery, they put him in a hard splint and said to come back in one week for a cast that will be on 2-3 weeks. Its crazy that we thought we were being overly-precautious taking him to the ER when he actually had a broken elbow. Doctor said kids get this injury very frequently, but it didn't change the fact that I felt absolutely awful

Re: Please tell me I'm not the worst parent in the world

Get the fluck out of here, you are so not a bad mommy! How would you know what happened? I am so sorry he got hurt, I hope he's feeling better soon!!

Re: Please tell me I'm not the worst parent in the world

Are you serious? These kids are nuts. They have no fear, no care, no nothing. It was harder on you and dh, well because you know how serious it was. The boy will be fine. You are not a crappy mom, you are the bomb. Dont stress, rest instead.

Everytime JAZ falls, I think this is the fall that is taking us to the hospital. The kid is a damn cat. He bounces up like nothing.

Littleman will be ok in a few weeks.

Re: Please tell me I'm not the worst parent in the world

Thanks, guys. I've been feeling so awful. Like I failed or something. I guess I just need to get over it. This kid is a psycho!

Re: Please tell me I'm not the worst parent in the world

you are NOT a bad mommy!!! Glad he is ok.

Re: Please tell me I'm not the worst parent in the world

what kind of mother allows her child to fall?

Glad C is ok. I hope he (and his parents) recover quickly. Get better pictures than your cell phone of the cast.

Re: Please tell me I'm not the worst parent in the world

You are NOT a bad mommny.

When my oldest was a toddler I remember playing a game with him before bed one night. He would lay down and I would pull him up by his hands. Like a sit up type thing. He was having the best time. The last time I pulled him up he started wailing. He was screaming his head off. DH and I looked him over he seemed fine. We did the same as you, rocked him to sleep. He woke up a few times at night crying. Finally in the morning after getting up again crying we took him to the ped. Turns out I had pulled his elbow out of place. Milk maids elbow (i think) is what the ped called it.

I felt like the biggest sh ittest mother ever.

It happens to all of us. We are not bad moms no matter how bad we feel at the time.

Re: Please tell me I'm not the worst parent in the world

You guys aren't the worst parents....kids have no fear and iultra activ, something is bound to happen even with you right there.

This week I was swearing DH and I were the worst parents. DS ended up with a horrible diaper rash becasue he slept in his poop the whole night. we hadn't realized that he had pooped at some point and he was in it the whole night, not to mention really wet. So he was waking through the night and we thought it was his molars didn't even think to check hs diaper. Then last night he has a winnie the pooh laptop that he loves to throw on the floor well now he's taken to stanging on it. We had moved it but he put it right back next to the coffee table and decided to stand on it...it gave and he fell fwd hitting his forehead and now has a big bump on his forehead.

These kids..they just want to give us heart attacks. You guys are def. not the worst parents!

Re: Please tell me I'm not the worst parent in the world

Awwww Lauren. I am so sorry and no it is not your fault! I hope he feels better soon.

Re: Please tell me I'm not the worst parent in the world

I'm sorry! Please don't be hard on yourself.

Re: Please tell me I'm not the worst parent in the world

I am so sorry he got hurt, but thats what kids do! You are not a bad mommy.

Hope he is feeling better soon!