Nurse Maddie

We have a great backyard.  If I were a kid, I would love to play in our backyard.  One one side, there is a trampoline, fully tricked out with every safety devise possible.  On the other side, there is the most incredible playscape.  I love this playscape!  There are 3 swings, an awesome slide, monkey bars, 2 forts, a rock wall, and a picnic table.  It makes my heart sing to hear kids laughing in the backyard as they play.

Only it wasn't laughing that I heard the other night.  Someone was crying.  It was Sean, our next door neighbor.  Sean is the neatest kid who has been in the same classroom with Madison for both kindergarten and first grade.  I opened the back door to see Sean crying and Madison holding his arm.  Apparently, Sean jumped down from the trampoline and fell on his side.  He was missing some skin on his elbow. 

We brought Sean inside and as I looked for a Band-Aid and neosporin, Maddie took him into the bathroom and washed his wound.  Sean was beginning to calm down under so much attention.  Kim found the neosporin and I found the Band-Aid.  After bandaging the wound, Maddie and I walked Sean home (next door).  Maddie walked beside her friend, gently holding his arm up in the air to keep it "stable". 

They knocked on Sean's front door and Sean's dad, a professional nurse, opened the door holding the phone to his ear.  As I began explaining what happened, I watched Maddie walk Sean into the house, help him lay down on the couch, cover him with a blanket, and turn the TV on for him.  All of this for a scraped elbow.  Sean's dad got a big chuckle over all the attention.  Maddie is growing up so fast and often seems too big for her britches.  I frequently want to slow everything down to keep my baby from ruling the world before I am ready.  It was such a special moment to see such empathy for her friend since I am usually listening to World War III with her sisters.  Maybe we aren't screwing up as much as we think.