Embarrassment Could Kill You

As I said yesterday, it was Tad’s teacher’s birthday. Ane and I bought flowers for her before we picked Tad up. I had a vase, kitchen shears, and a bottle of water, so I arranged the pink tulips in the vase in the car.

“Please, Mommy, can I carry it?” Ane begged.

I considered it. “All right, but use both hands to hold it, okay?”

You can see it coming, right?

Ane, very excited, wasn’t paying attention to the curb, and as we walked up to Tad and his teacher, she tripped, fell, and the vase hit the pavement.

Amazingly, it did not break.

However, Ane’s poor little heart did. If embarrassment could kill, she would have wanted to die. As I retrieved the vase – with all the flowers still inside, though with slightly less water – she clung to me and started sobbing. She was absolutely mortified. It was probably her most embarrassing moment in her entire five years of life.

Have I mentioned what a wonderful woman Tad’s teacher is? She thanked Ane for the flowers and tried to make her feel better. I dusted Ane off and told her that it was okay – accidents happen, but we need to try and be careful. However, nothing broke, so everything was okay.

I can’t even imagine the mess if the vase HAD shattered. Glass shards and preschoolers do not mix well.

Ane was pretty shaken up. I have a feeling that she will always remember this particular incident. Fortunately, it can be a teaching moment on being careful and paying attention.

But we never quite forget our embarrassing moments, do we?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 at 12:27 am and is filed under Children, School Days.
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