Learning not to coddle over every little boo-boo

Childhood is full of boo-boos and bandages. 

My daughter and I were putting away groceries Saturday when she noticed the new toothpaste I had bought for her. It featured her favorite cartoon character, Princess Poppy from the movie "Trolls," on the package. 

"Mommy, is this for me?" she said, jumping with the same amount of enthusiasm I imagine she'll have years from now when she gets her first car.

"Yep," I said.

"I'll go put it away," she said, and then took off running toward the hallway. 

Then I heard a bang, and after about ten seconds, the crying started.

I walked over to her, picked her up, set her on my lap, hugged her big, and asked what happened. Through a series of gestures, which she uses when she's too upset to talk, she told me that she whacked her hand on my file cabinet as she ran past my desk in the living room.

Her crying had alerted her dad, who was in the garage. He came in, got up to speed on what had happened, and as we examined her hand, he made sure it wasn't broken then I tended to a cut she had gotten on one of her fingers.

Every time I've been present when my daughter has gotten injured, I've picked her up and held her, just like I did on Saturday. Lately, though, I've been thinking I shouldn't. Maybe the best thing to do is to find out what's wrong, bandage what needs it and tell her it will be OK. According to my daughter, when she's gotten hurt at daycare, that's all the workers there do. That's what my own mom would've done. Am I coddling her too much?

In short, I believe I am. I want my daughter to learn the difference between what's a big deal and what isn't. I cannot help but wonder if I am making it harder for her to tell.

Hopefully, I'll do better the next time she has a boo-boo.