Shaft and Bolts

There are reasons why our parents tell us—don't play in the street, don’t' throw rocks, don’t splash in the mud puddles, don’t go barefooted—don't, don’t, don’t! 

My goodness! So, many “don’ts.” 

Did we ever really pay attention to all the “don’ts?!” Nah... 

I still went barefooted and almost cut my toe off, splashed in the mud puddles and got ringworms (Ouch! Those sessions with the doctor freezing my foot were NOT pleasant!), and was hit in the eye with a rock. This list does not stop here. As kids, we had to learn our lessons by doing, but as parents we wanted our children to avoid all of those unpleasantries. 

I know my parents must have felt like they were wasting their time and breath. Still, the “don’ts” continued to come.  

My cousins, David and Derald, were very close. David was born first, then me, and then Derald; we were all one year apart. We lived close enough for us all to develop that special cousin bond.  

They loved the outdoors, so they were always outside. They did things like target practice with bb guns, riding horses, and playing in the pond located on their property. Oh, and let’s not forget, shooting bows and arrows. 

David had been practicing with his new bow and arrows and his mom had given him the necessary “don’t” warnings. Shooting the arrow straight up in the air was probably one of these warnings that my aunt did not give him. It must be safe enough to do this, right?! 

He grabbed his bow, and out David went to target shoot. I guess he just wanted to see how far into space he could shoot an arrow. So, he pointed the arrow toward the sky and let it fly!  

In the meantime, Derald had come outside to watch his brother. Well, everyone knows that if you shoot an arrow up into space, then it had to come down somewhere. And come down it did. Right into Derald’s head, sticking up in his scalp! OUCH! 

Without thinking, Derald grabbed the arrow and jerked it out of his head. And, when he did, blood started spurting everywhere. They both yelled for their dad, my uncle Willie. He ran from the house and when he saw all the blood, he threw Derald into the car and headed for the hospital for treatment. Within a few hours, they patched him up and sent him back home.  

Did Derald tattle on his brother? Did his mom and dad ever know that he was shot in the head with an arrow with a nail in it? No. And, never! 

As far as I know, Uncle Willie thought he was punctured with a nail while climbing a tree. 

As parents of two boys, my husband and I had many similar situations. And, no matter how many times we said “don’t” they “did” anyway. It’s just life, isn’t it? We had to learn to roll with the punches. 

Our children, in most instances, were going to do it their way no matter what advice we gave them. We had to sit back and watch as they made mistakes and sometimes that was the hardest thing we could do. 

Our boys are men now and we have a new set of worries. 

Oh, my—will the worries never end?!