"I was sick at home when my 2-year-old son was bitten by a rattlesnake at a kid's fairy-themed birthday party in LA. My husband, Mac, was with our two kids when our son fell into the grass, crying and pointing to his hand. At first glance, Mac thought he was having an allergic reaction to a bee sting, a fair assessment for an Angelino parent, until he identified a second puncture wound in the divot between his little fingers."
"It's one thing to be present when your child gets hurt. The self-blame is straightforward - "It's all my fault. I wasn't quick enough. I should have seen it coming."But when it happens without you, the guilt wanders until it emboldens - "Had I been there, I would have prevented it. I would have lured the snake away with the live mouse I keep in my first aid kit next to the Paw Patrol Band-Aids and butt cream.""
A mother’s two-year-old son was bitten by a rattlesnake at a children's fairy-themed birthday party while she was home sick. Her husband initially mistook the injury for a bee sting until a second puncture was found between the child's fingers. Hospital staff and a poison specialist administered antivenom as the hand swelled and discolored. The event revived memories of the mother's own mother's death at 67 and forced confrontation with mortality. The emergency and recovery prompted reexamination of priorities, leading to renewed focus on family, gratitude, and what matters most after trauma.
Read at Business Insider
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