I was recently standing behind my kitchen counter preparing lunch for my hungry children when my 22-month-old son, as he often does, climbed up on the kitchen chair to watch me slice some cheese, hoping to snag a bite. I reached to the other side of the counter and handed him a piece. He excitedly grabbed it, turned around, and put both hands on the back of the chair, bouncing wildly.
I saw it coming. But before I could stop him, he pushed the chair over and went down with it, breaking his right foot in the process.
I picked up his little body and held him tightly as he cried until he eventually fell asleep. This coddling of my little guy went on days past his X-ray, and even after his cast was put on.
As his mother, I naturally didn’t want him to get hurt more. So I protected him soundly — stopping short of wrapping him in memory foam.
But the more I protected his injury, the more he wanted to get away from me. So I decided to let him go, and watched as he tested the waters.
First, he scooted on his little bum, getting around the best he could. He then pulled himself up on the couch and walked along the edge, with the soft carpet below. His older siblings then took his hands and walked with him, helping him get used to taking steps on harder surfaces.
Pretty soon, he was back at it. Not only was he walking, but running.
As I watched my little guy play and run around as if he had never fallen in the first place, I was inspired.
I began to ask myself: How often do I get an injury and use it as an excuse to be sedentary? When I get hurt, how often to I wallow in self-pity and hope that someone will coddle me?
The answer, to both, is every time.
Watching my little boy keep on trucking despite his injury helped me to see that getting hurt is not something that should keep me from being active — it should motivate me to find a way.
While I am eagerly waiting for my baby to be free from his cast so that he can more freely experience play without its confines, I am for the moment enjoying being inspired by his determination and will to keep going.
What I learned after my son broke his foot
Twenty-two-month-old Axel running in and out of my room while wearing a cast on his broken foot.
Arianne is a mother of six young children, and an Altra, PROBAR, Nuun, and Unshoes sponsored athlete. For more of her writings, search "A Mother's Write" on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter at arimom6.