Amri in distress

I reached home after work and immediately noticed none of the boys were playing outside. A moms instinct told me something was up. What now........

True enough, once my face popped at the front door, Amri was wailing. Then showed me his injured kneecap. So what??? No big deal as far I was concerned, a few bloody cuts and scrapes and bruises.... Certainly not the first time. Definitely not half as bad as his scalded calf, and even then he did not shed tears.

So I decided to ask his little friends instead. As it turned out, Amri coaxed his friends into long jump contest over a drain...a big one at that. On one of his jumps, he miscalculated (perhaps...or tripped) and landed inside the drain instead. Kakakakaka......the image was so comical that I can't help laughing at my own son.

Then I understood the tears. Certainly not for the sorry state of his knee, but more out of trepidation. Of being scolded by me, who after the wall grafitty incident, was not as lenient as before. My son was afraid of me. And that's the last thing I wanted to happen to him....being so scared that he didn't dare tell me the truth. The tears was his way to shield questions, of seeking comfort instead of wrath.

I need a break............