A New Rule in the MN House

You know how sometimes things happen to you in slow motion? Like car crashes or dropping expensive breakables or something like that that you just can't stop? That happened to me yesterday. And it was terrible because it was my girls in slow motion and there was nothing I could do.

Pete was helping me put icing on the cinnamon rolls we were having with our dinner, and she was standing on the step stool. Lulu climbed up behind her on the stool, like she always does, and for some reason Pete put her hands behind her and Lulu grabbed them and then they both fell (in slow motion) backwards. Pete fell on Lulu! Of course there was a jumble of girls in a pile on the floor. Since Pete was on top, I helped her up first and she said she wasn't hurt and I hugged her quickly and she calmed down a little (I think that took longer to write than to happen) so I picked Lulu up and there was all this blood coming from her mouth! And I said something smart like, "Oh no!" or "Oh dear!" or "Oh boy!" Then Pete wasn't okay anymore. But I couldn't stop helping Lulu. I needed to be two people at that moment. So I said very clearly to Pete, "She'll be fine. She's fine. It's okay," and I ran to the bathroom where I could make sure that was true. Which it was. You know, right? Mouth wounds bleed way more than most other wounds. I'm glad I know that. Otherwise I might have panicked. I did worry. Because that's what I do, but I decided to wait to see if it would stop bleeding, and if it didn't I'd call the nurse. That gave me a chance to find Pete, who was exactly where we'd left her (but not wailing anymore), and explain why there was so much blood and comfort her because it sucks when you fall on someone littler than you and there's nothing you can do to stop it (I know). It made her feel better to help me come up with this new rule (that should probably have been a rule to begin with but wasn't): Only one person on the step stool at a time. It'll be hard to enforce, but we'll manage because it's worth it.