Children never cease to amaze me.

I didn't post about it, but a few days ago Bean Pole got hit in the face with an arrow. That's right, an arrow...like from a bow and arrow. Now what on Earth made this kid think it would be okay to let someone aim an arrow at him is beyond me, but he did it.

Let me take that back...I don't know the details, as they were playing with friends in the park one field over. Maybe the other kids were playing bows and arrows and Bean Pole just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But I know my son...chances are good that's not the way it happened.

So...Bean Pole and a couple neighbor kids walk up to our backdoor and a neighbor kid knocks on the door. I swing the door open, and there stands Bean Pole, with a bloodied bunch of paper towels holding his face. My first thought? His eye had been poked out (or poked in, as I used to say to my mother when she pulled the ol' It's-all-fun-and-games-til-someone-gets-their-eye-poked-out trick). I was outwardly a cool as a cucumber mom, but inside, I was almost hysterical. Keep in mind, I just had a friend almost lose sight in his eye by accidentally sling-shotting a chunk of tree stump back into his face with a Bobcat. Visions of this friend's swollen-shut eye and bloodied, bruised face were running through my head as I stared at my son, halfway listening to the older neighbor talk. He was studying to be a nurse, and although he wasn't there when the "attack" happened, he'd looked at the injury, and thought Bean Pole might need a trip to the ER.

ER? We don't need no stinking ER!

I thank them, bring Bean Pole inside, and peel away the paper towel that's now stuck to his face with blood. He's got a good puncture wound, just to the side of his nose, about an inch below his right eye. There is a flap of skin almost imbedded in the wound, which I had to almost dig out with a Q-tip. Lovely. I'm sure it was wonderful for him as well.

So a few band aids and applications of triple antibiotic ointment later, it's on it's way to healing, but I bet he'll get a mother of a scar. I told him it'll be that kind of scar that his girlfriend will ask him about someday...and he can tell her that he was in some kind of battle with the enemy or something heroic like that. He just looked at me like I was from Venus, then looked away. At this point, people keep asking him what happened, and he won't tell them..says he wants me to tell them. Embarrassed much?

That's probably a good thing...maybe it'll be awhile before he takes on another arrow. These boys will be the death of me.