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What My Son’s Broken Toe Taught Me About Life’s Natural Feedback Loop
Resisting the urge for an immediate fix.
We’ve been talking to a lot of doctors lately.
Not for me, but for my middle son — eight years old, perpetually in motion, a blur of energy and impulse. Three weeks ago, in a flash of anger toward his younger brother, he attempted what can only be described as a poorly executed karate kick. The target, his six-year-old brother’s rear end, emerged unscathed.
Our solid oak bed frame, however, won the encounter decisively.
One broken toe. Significant damage to his foot’s growth plate (I didn’t even know what that was). A special orthopedic shoe. Crutches that clatter through our house at all hours. Three weeks of restricted movement. And the looming possibility of surgery if he doesn’t take it easy.
As I watch him navigate this unfortunate detour in his childhood, struggling to accept limitations, and fighting against the slowness imposed on his naturally fast-paced existence, I find myself reflecting on the nature of consequences and how rarely we experience them with such clarity in our adult lives.
