Blood........

I have been a blood donor for a number of years, even got a ' badge' for giving 25 pints, and then some, the sight of my own blood has never bothered me at all. I've had quite a few operations, asleep and awake, and never batted an eyelid, so can someone tell me why when it came to seeing my children's blood I went to pieces?

What brought this on?

Well the other night I was watching Kramer v Kramer on TV. Yes I know it's an old film but I haven't seen it before and I wasn't tired so thought I'd catch up. Anyway, you remember the part where Ted (Dustin Hoffman) has taken Billy (Justin Henry) to the park and Billy falls off the climbing frame and smashes his eye, and Ted picks him up and runs through the streets at 90 miles an hour to get him to the hospital? When they get there Ted is in a panic because Billy is crying, covered in blood and there's nothing he can do but leave it to the doctor to stitch Billy's eye, whilst he tries to soothe him. Well it brought memories of my own kids childhood accidents when I just panicked!

When eldest son (N) was about 12 months old he had just started walking round the furniture and was doing really well when he slipped and managed to bang his top lip (not easy to do). You cannot imagine the amount of blood that came from what, afterwards, looked like a paper cut! I just panicked when I saw the blood, anyone would think he had chopped his head off! I grabbed him and flew out of the house to my neighbour, thrust him into her arms and said "he's bleeding!" then I turned and fled sobbing my heart out. My wonderful neighbour cleaned him up and soothed his tears then returned my little son to me looking like nothing had happened.

Then there was the time youngest son (D) was probably 6 years old and was playing outside with N, suddenly they both appeared with N holding a gauze pad to D's head and it was covered in blood! I almost fainted right there and then, my knees were shaking I felt sick, I couldn't even take the gauze away to look at the damage. N explained they had been playing in a friend's garden and D has slipped and banged his head on a wall, luckily friend's mum was a nurse and she'd cleaned it up but suggested it needed a couple of stiches.

Thank God MWM was home to drive us to the hospital. At the hospital MWM let us out at Emergency whilst he went to park the car and I rushed D to the reception desk. The receptionist started with the questions - name, date of birth, address - I couldn't remember a damn thing! D, at six years old and bleeding had to give the receptionist the information she required. They rushed us straight through to a cubicle to see a doctor where he informed us that D would need a couple of stiches, but because the cut was on his forehead, where there wasn't much flesh, it would be better to stitch it without a local anaesthetic. Oh dear God, as if my baby wasn't hurting enough! D was very brave and didn't flinch during the stiching, however I was a complete mess, I just sat holding his hand blubbering.

See what I mean? Where's the logic? You could cut your own arm off and eat it, but see a bit of blood on your child and you're reduced to a blithering idiot!

Talking of children, D and his partner Fi have decided to grace the www with their own blog, see Dan's Fi-ver (Dance Fever!). It's early days, but keep tuning in, he has a wicked sense of humour!