Crisis Management 101

I have an aversion to blood.
Well, wait a minute. That statement isn't entirely accurate. I love blood when it's pumping through the body, doing its thang and keeping the heart healthy. I do, however, have a problem with it when it manages to make an escape in front of me, though...

I like to think of myself as someone who is level-headed and calm, who could take on a crisis without batting an eye. However, when I'm honest with myself, I have to admit one impediment. The sight of blood makes me a.) pass out, b.) say "Gheeeeeeeee," or c.) most often a combination of both.

Now, could you think of an instance in which it would be inappropriate to pass out or say "Gheeeeeeee" (or both)? Well, let's just pretend that you are the mommy of a toddler. And let's just say that toddler manages to crawl everywhere and get into everything. And let's also mention that said toddler loves to touch absolutely everything he can.

And then let's just imagine that this precious little toddler manages to crawl into the craft room with you and in less than a minute, get his hands on several of the glass pieces from used picture frames (remember the Milo craft we did Sunday?). You would, of course, hustle that toddler on out of the craft room and get on with your day, right? Crisis averted. Whew! But wait. You would notice several minutes later that there is a trail of crimson following your toddler around the dining room and he is literally holding a handful of blood.

Now, pause. How do you react? Do you pass out or say "Gheeeeeeeee"? Do you completely lose your head, sit on the floor, and burst into sobs? Absolutely not, because that would be completely inappropriate (despite what you would like to do). So you instead take a deep breath, snatch up that baby, and spend at least 20 minutes trying to figure out where the cut actually is, how bad it is, and then stop the bleeding. In the midst of this, you might make a phone call to your husband and leave him what you imagine to be a very calm voicemail (he will call you back later laughing at your almost unintelligible message). You might perhaps go through countless bandaids and wound strips, trying to figure out a way to distract your child from noticing them on his finger and then fishing them out of his mouth almost immediately. And you finally end up rocking him back and forth in front of a mirror while wrapping his hand in a dish towel and trying to elevate it above heart level. And the only relief you have would be that your child seems completely unaffected by the whole thing and doesn't seem to be in any pain.

"Wow, Kate, sounds like you've thought this scenario through completely. What's up with that?"

Let's just say I know a girl this might have happened to today. And on a side note, the child was fine. His cut stopped bleeding and sealed itself shut, and just like spit-up, blood apparently appears like a lot more than it is when it's on the floor, your shirt, your arm, your face, etc. He went on his merry way, and only after he was down for a nap did his mommy even consider saying "Gheeeeeeeeee."