This Won't Hurt A Bit (At Least Not Until Later)

Our four-year-old son's courage in getting his stitches put in last weekend (he even wanted to watch "Anaconda," which was on TV in his hospital room while he waited) had us so impressed that we had assumed he was rolling with this latest challenge. I was reminded a few days later, though, of a lesson I learned so painfully in junior high: Sometimes things people say hurt a whole lot more than falling on the stairs and splitting your chin open.

We were in the car driving to church for Cherub Choir. Both my cherubs were in the back quietly looking out their windows. Then, out of the blue, big brother piped up.

"The next time you and Rachel go somewhere, Mama, can we get a babysitter?" he asked.

I wasn't too sure what he was getting at. "Why do we need to get a babysitter, honey?"

"Because I don't want anyone to ask me why I got my stitches," he said.

My heart began to ache. "Did someone say something about your stitches?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "Two kids at preschool."

I paused to get into the head of a four-year-old. "Well, sweetie, they were probably just asking about them because they think they're cool. Lots of kids think stitches are cool," I said, sincerely believing this to be true from my experience as a kid.

His response, simple and laden with emotion, told me he felt otherwise.

"They're not cool," he said.