Owen Vs. the Treadmill

As our youngest, Owen lives up to all the sterotypes of second in sibling line. He's the bravest, the silliest, the most passionate. These strong emotions and sheer fearlessness combined with Collin's clever ideas and schemes, mean that on occasion we are in for some serious surprises (in case you are curious feel free to read the post on the pantry invasion).

On a regular summer weekend we woke up to the usual both boys playing in the play space- this is pretty typical for a weekend. They get up around 6:30, we lazily tell them to look at books until we get up and they usually do fine playing nicely.  Sometimes they ask if they can play in the basement, which again, is usually fine, because they do one of three things (a) make a pillow fort, (b) play with legos and or (c) play with construction equipment or trains. We can usually be money that it will be one of those things.

Usually is the key term here.

In December we got a treadmill (Merry Christmas to me!). Its fantastic! I love the treadmill. But from day one we were strict about it- no kids on the treadmill without an adult, don't play with toys on the treadmill, never turn it on and never never run on it without an adult. Insert gruesome story here about treadmill mangling.

So, on that fun summer weekend, the boys went to the basement and we continued to be lazy. Until Owen can up the stairs screaming and crying in the most shrill and intense way- I thought a bone was broken for sure. But it was almost worse- both knees, both elbows and the palms of his hands were missing skin. Serious amounts of skin. It looked horribly painful. Owen is usually a pretty tough kid, he shakes off a lot and I didn't think of him needing to be coddled. That morning he sat in my lap and cried intensely for at least an hour.

Oh, parenting fails. We meet again.

Between Owen's sobs Collin came running in confessing it was all his fault. Collin has been really working a streak of honesty and I appreciate it tremendously. He used it well here. He confessed:Its all my fault mom. Owen was on the treadmill and it was going too fast and he flew off!

As it turns out, Owen did indeed get slammed into the wall behind the treadmill and get some serious skin burns from the track running while he laid there. I wasn't down there to see it, but after asking many more questions we learned that with Collin's clever thinking and Owen's fearless and irrational interest in using the treadmill they got out the fab, turned it on and began standing in the front of it and put pillows on it. I'm sure this happened to elicit pure joy from them until at some point they decided it would be fun instead for the pillows to go over the front, for one of them. You'll never guess who it was!!

Owen. of course.

And over he went. Collin reported they had it turned up to a fast speed and couldn't turn it off, so I assume he went over the top and then hit the wall and got the burns from being pinned between the spinning treadmill belt and the wall, all while we were lazily sleeping upstairs.

I know. parenting fail. Serious parenting fail.

After much tender loving care for Owen and Collin in tears with remorse, talking through who is allowed in the basement, re-hiding the fab and pretty much scaring Owen into never going near the treadmill again, we came out the other side with some lifetime scars and a good story. I can smile about Owen's ridiculous fearlessness now, but that day and a few weeks thereafter his sad little scars nearly brought me to tears.

Oh, Owen. Go easy on your momma. She's not going to do well with this when you are 14 and have even more wild antics, instead of 4.