A task conquered

This week we are on a sort off mini vacation with friends, you know the kind where you travel for vacationing (of course) and maybe you just happen to run into a doctor or two. Wow, who knew this could happen.

My girlfriend and I took all the kids to the park today.. that's my 5 and her 3. It was one of those drizzly days but if you wait for the sun to shine here, you'd wait till August.

Myself and my older kids are big fan of swings. Alexi is a slider. At 24 lbs, yes 4 yrs old chronologically, he doesn't walk independently but he is unafraid of any slide. Alexi has many other fears BUT NOT SLIDES. It's kind of my job to be a worrier as a mommy, right.

He scooted as fast as his little bottom would take him, across the cedar chips and pebbles, all the while looking up at the non-threatening toddler slide, an enclosed plastic tube so he couldn't fall out, with a lip at the bottom to catch him. He couldn't get there fast enough. I thought...Ok , my little man, here we go.

I helped him climb up the stairs and he jumped into the slide and slid down to the bottom, laughing all the way. I saw him poke his head out of the bottom of the slide...giggling with abundant delight. He did this about nine thousand times and the nine-thousand-and-first time he poked his head around the end of the slide, gave me a mischievous look...and then it happened.............He jump-scooted down on his own, fell forward and did a belushi-esque face-plant right into the ground.

He was on all fours, the therapists would be proud, screaming furiously. He had dirt and woodchips all over his face and up his nose, pieces of bark were lodged in his teeth. A small pinprick of blood appeared on his nose as I wiped away the mud and tried not cry myself. "Oh baby, mommy is so sorry! We won't slide anymore.

He pushed me away angrily and started scooting toward the car, with Andy and Jesse (as concerned brothers) trying to help him and pick him up. I followed, feeling like the worst mom in the world. Then I realized that he wasn't going toward the car.
He was scooting back to the slide.

He was still angry and crying and as he got to the stairs gave me a look like "Well? Are you going to help me or not?" Should I stop him and save him from himself? He climbed up the stairs, with NO help, and I watched him with a feeling of dread like I was watching an execution. He climbed into the slide tube, I asked if he wanted Andy to go with him. He hesitated for a second and looked at me so seriously; then he pushed my hands away and slid - this time with no giggling. This was all business. As soon as he hit the bottom he looked up again to make sure I was watching...and jump-scooted off that damn lip again, landing perfectly.

He smiled proudly to himself and scooted off to the rocking critters, still spitting out dirt, having conquered the toddler slide once and for all.