Discovery, for a child, is a natural part of life. Children start discovering different things at different points in their lives like feet, hands, belly buttons, animals, etc.
Tonight, Claire discovered two new things. The "normal" thing she discovered are my eyes. She has now started touching and pointing at my eyes. When I say the word "eyes" as she touches my eyes, she acts like she doesn't like that word for some reason. Who knows! She is so into "b" words right now, maybe she wants it to start with a "b".....
But then she also made another, not so normal, discovery tonight. I say "not so normal" meaning not every child has this to discover. Some children do, but not all. Tonight in the bathtub, Claire looked down at her belly and has finally discovered one of her scars. The 8" scar from her liver surgery that expands all the way across her belly. She pressed it and touched it several times, then moved onto her belly button that she discovered a long time ago.
It's strange to watch her notice the scar. You can hardly see it as it blends in, although it's slightly whiter than her skin. But it's noticeable. It makes me sad because she will always have these huge scars across her beautiful skin. One day we will have to explain these scars. One day she will hate these scars. And hopefully one day she will embrace these scars. It just breaks my heart to know that she is already noticing them and wondering about them. It scares me to think she may get picked on about her scars. Or called names. It tears my heart into a million pieces.
So it's not a normal discovery, but it's part of our lives. I am curious to know how other parents handle explaining the scars at different ages in life. How do your kids react? I can just imagine a 13 year old Claire yelling at me and blaming me for her scars. :(
On a happier note, Claire has learned that when you say "I love you" she will make the sound and act like she is blowing you a kiss. She doesn't do the hand motion with it, but she is putting love and kisses together! It's so sweet!
Love,
The Scott Family
Oh the things that we never imagined having to think about. I'm sure that you guys will do an incredible job of teaching Claire to be PROUD if ever little scar that she has. I'm sure that she won't always love them, but each of them is testament to her strength!
ReplyDeleteI always used to laugh because Charlotte would play with one of her chest tube scars like it was her belly button! She would just put her little finger on it and wiggle it around like she was going to find something! Her scars were really faded as well...I guess they just notice that it feels "different" than the rest of their skin.
Love to you all! Kristen