Professional Caregiver FAIL
So today I made a kid cry. Not intentionally though. I'm not even sure if the other staff was aware of what happened but here goes. One of the kids fell out of a tree the evening before and suffered a fractured left rib and a severe gash on his arm on the same side. I knew this but I completely forgot around the time I made the mistake I'm currently explaining.
This is one of the kids that I joke around with a lot. So after a serious clown session during an activity, I started beat boxing a Barney Song. Three other kids, including the one I made cry, joined in with very little beat boxing skill. They were spitting more than beat boxing. So the kid I made cry is beat boxing away and he spits on me. We are all joking, so it is all in good fun. I tell him that he's spitting not beat boxing. He laughs it off and keeps doing it his way. The he lunges this massive rain shower of spit on my arm. Of course I feel it and I take him by the arm and wipe my arm off on his side. The other kids start laughing then I leave the room.
I come back to the game area to find him with his head down. Now this kid is a trooper. He doesn't cry and when he does he sits there with his head down, no matter how much pain he is in, fighting to hold back tears. I catch him in that position and I'm completely unaware of what happened. I crouch down to where he is to find out what's wrong. He's silent. He's in a fetal position and something directs me to ask about his arm. I ask him if it hurts since he won't speak. He nods his head in agreement. Two other counselors come to my aid and try to figure out what happened. He remains silent.
Then it occurs to me. Oh dayum! I touched his injured arm and the side he fractured when I wiped his spit off my arm. I'm like GREAT! Of all the times to joke around. Now I done made the dude's pain worst. You can imagine how unprofessional I felt. Unprofessional wasn't the word. I knew I effed up all in the name of joking around with the kid. Hoping none of the other counselors would dig further into the situation and blow my spot, I left it alone.
I take my hat off to the dude. He's not a cryer and he tried relentlessly not to make a big deal out of his pain. Within 10 minutes of giving him an ice pack, he was back to his happy-go-lucky self joking around with the other youth and I. I gave a big sigh of relief and went about my business. These type of things can happen to anyone. Right?
This is one of the kids that I joke around with a lot. So after a serious clown session during an activity, I started beat boxing a Barney Song. Three other kids, including the one I made cry, joined in with very little beat boxing skill. They were spitting more than beat boxing. So the kid I made cry is beat boxing away and he spits on me. We are all joking, so it is all in good fun. I tell him that he's spitting not beat boxing. He laughs it off and keeps doing it his way. The he lunges this massive rain shower of spit on my arm. Of course I feel it and I take him by the arm and wipe my arm off on his side. The other kids start laughing then I leave the room.
I come back to the game area to find him with his head down. Now this kid is a trooper. He doesn't cry and when he does he sits there with his head down, no matter how much pain he is in, fighting to hold back tears. I catch him in that position and I'm completely unaware of what happened. I crouch down to where he is to find out what's wrong. He's silent. He's in a fetal position and something directs me to ask about his arm. I ask him if it hurts since he won't speak. He nods his head in agreement. Two other counselors come to my aid and try to figure out what happened. He remains silent.
Then it occurs to me. Oh dayum! I touched his injured arm and the side he fractured when I wiped his spit off my arm. I'm like GREAT! Of all the times to joke around. Now I done made the dude's pain worst. You can imagine how unprofessional I felt. Unprofessional wasn't the word. I knew I effed up all in the name of joking around with the kid. Hoping none of the other counselors would dig further into the situation and blow my spot, I left it alone.
I take my hat off to the dude. He's not a cryer and he tried relentlessly not to make a big deal out of his pain. Within 10 minutes of giving him an ice pack, he was back to his happy-go-lucky self joking around with the other youth and I. I gave a big sigh of relief and went about my business. These type of things can happen to anyone. Right?
Comments
I am sure you aint sweatin'...we all make mistakes...just think how fatherhood will whenever that occurs, this is preparing you for that. Think of it like that.
-juskev