Ustice’s Tomato Stand

Kids are amazing. Perrin got a second-degree burn over what dad estimates is 2% of his body over the weekend, when he pulled down a curling iron on his arm. Of course he cried when it happened, but the amazing thing is that it wasn’t for long, and since then he doesn’t seem to be bothered by it, despite it looking pretty nasty (and no, it is not a third-degree burn). I’m really nervous about things like curling irons, and have a habit of moving them and their chords, so when Perrin got burned, I got really upset at Bionca for failing to secure the chord from Perrin’s reach. Luckily, I realized that there was nothing that I could say to her that she wasn’t saying to herself, and so after making sure that he was receiving proper care, I moved away to cool down.

Since then, the burn has blistered and later popped, and still Perrin only seems to regard it with curiosity. I really don’t understand it. We’ve given him bathes, taken him outside in the sun at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and if it is a source of discomfort to him at all, he doesn’t show it. That isn’t to say that it still isn’t traumatic. Every time I see the injury, it gives me a chill, and causes tension in the lower half of my body. Saturday night, I put his pajamas on him after his bath, and despite not a sound or movement in protest (other than his usual aversion to sitting still for five consecutive seconds), I kept envisioning causing searing pain in my son’s arm as I put on his sleeve. I just hate seeing the burn, knowing how it must hurt. I’ve had a few before, though nothing of that relative size.

Despite the traumatic nature of the event, it really makes me appreciate how lucky we are with Perrin. Even more than Saturday night, with Bionca going out with friends, and him behaving and going to sleep despite not nursing, it shows how well behaved and easy to take care of he is. I know that children like him are far from unique, but it’s certainly a rare thing.