My Baby has a boo-boo..

I didn't get a chance to write about Remy's bite. He was bitten by another child at daycare. Not on the arm or hand but on the face. Quite badly. The daycare was so concerned that they wanted to take him to the hospital. Of course, I was not in town and Gary works an hour away. I can't tell you how traumatic it was for me to learn that my child was hurt and I could not get to him, to console him.

Turns out he did not need stitches. It was a pretty bad boo-boo and in all likelihood, it'll leave a small scar.

It is a good thing that I've had so many conversations with mom's of bitters and mom's of children who've been bitten, otherwise, I could have gone right off the deep end with the blame game. I've read enough to know that biting is not unusual for children of Remy's age. It doesn't necessarily indicate that they are bad kids or come from a bad home. Children of this age are just learning impulse control, problem resolution and language skills. It is a problem when a child's parents don't work with them to find alternatives solving their frustration other than biting (or hiting or throwing or kicking). But to label a child bad because they have bitten another child is over-reactive and doesn't help the child learn positive problem resolution skills. Remy could have been the biter in this scenario and I know I would have been beside myself with worry and sorrow. I know the other child's mom is feeling very bad and that they are working to help the child improve their social skills.

I hope I never take pictures like these ones ever again. See how swollen his left eye is?