Crying out...Malachi 2:13

One of our children has heard the story about the boy who cried wolf many times. Last weekend he stepped in a squirrel hole and twisted his ankle. He cried. Sometimes it is all better and he can run on it just fine. Other times (like when he is asked to do a chore) it starts bothering him again, even to the point of tears. Big, big tears. Almost every day this week he has been reduced to tears over some sort of supposed injury. I am tired of it. I've explained that it is ok to cry if he needs to, but crying just for the sake of crying is tiresome to everyone that has to listen to it. I've tried telling him that when he really is hurt, nobody will come running just because he is crying.

For instance...

This morning the kids were up early. M and Sacagawea were outside first to care for the chickens, then J and S went outside to take care of the horse. A few minutes later we heard crying and wailing. "Is that S or Sacagawea?" I asked The Man. The Man thought is sounded like Sacagawea. Just then Sacagawea came inside, but the crying was still going on outside. "Oh, it must be S," I said casually. I then shared with The Man about his daily cry-fest and how I couldn't believe he was starting it so early in the morning. Neither one of us rushed outside to see what was bothering him...until M came inside and announced that S was hurt. "Really?" I said.

"There's blood," stated M.

Hmmm. The Man went to investigate and came back a few minutes later asking where all the suturing materials were. Apparently S and J decided that instead of promptly returning to the house after taking care of the horse, they would hide behind the van and jump out at M and Sacagawea as they were coming back to the house. (sigh...yes, we had a chat about that). A natural consequence was that S, in his excitement, ran right into the post in our front yard that has all the telephone company stuff inside and split open his leg below his knee.

Photos courtesy of J and Sacagawea... Another view... "Woe is me..." Three stitches later... He's been running around just fine all day. He did complain at noontime that it was still numb from the shot The Man gave him.

The good news? His ankle hasn't hurt him all day!