Whenever someone asks me what the hardest part about being a parent is, I don’t say the obvious things like lack of sleep, toddler willfulness, daycare costs, etc. I say that when you become a parent, a piece of yourself now lives outside of your body, and it’s the most important piece, but despite your best efforts, you won’t always be able to keep it safe. This little bit of knowledge is, for me, the absolute worst part of being a parent.

This week, my little piece got hurt. Chloe was sitting with me at the top of the basement stairs and she went to slide down on her bottom toward Rob. She has done this before and I wasn’t really concerned. But as she started to slide to the next stair, something happened (maybe her foot was caught?) and she proceeded to tumble down the stair where Rob caught her at the bottom.

To say my heart completely stopped for several seconds would be an understatement.

She was terrified and likely had some bumps and bruises, but after a trip to the pediatrician, we confirmed she was completely fine. However, even with this good news, my heart felt heavy with the potential of what could have happened. It makes no sense to dwell on those things, but I felt incredibly lucky that Chloe managed to escape the incident with only a few bumps and bruises.

The only issue was that she hit her two top front teeth at some point during the fall and they are bruised a bit, so it’s soft food for the next 2 weeks.

My little tropper.

I still get sick thinking about the whole thing, but I also feel as if I need to gird my parental loins for the many spills and injuries to come. Kids have accidents and that is a part of them exploring the world around them, pushing boundaries, and learning what is and is not safe for them. As a parent, it’s my job to encourage this exploration, while trying to hedge off any major accidents as much as possible.

I didn’t do a great job of that this week. But we are incredibly lucky that Chloe is doing great. And that she is a huge fan of soft foods.