Old Enough to Know Better!

Old Enough to Know Better
Last night we got a call from our youngest son, Scott. He called us after returning from a trip to urgent care. He was at the hockey rink skating with the kids on the Community Club ice rink. He got hit by a puck and had to get 12 stitches on and by his lip. He said it was good that I didn't see how terrible he looked. Of course, after making sure his teeth were all still there and that he didn't hurt his head, I really scolded him as a Mother can scold about not wearing a hockey helmet or mouthpiece. I can't believe that he was foolish enough not to wear a helmet and mouthpiece, let alone the thought that at age 25 he is an "adult" that should be a role model to the kids on the rink (who by the rules, are not permitted to be on the ice without helmet and mouthpieces)! I was upset! I thought by age 25 some of those teenage actions would be gone. I found my self saying something everyone hears their parents say at least once in life "You are old enough to know better!" He could have lost teeth, (and no dental insurance) he could have been seriously hurt more than a split mouth! Tonight I called him to see how his day went. It's still very swollen. I asked him what they said at his work. He said that his boss gave him the dickens, too about not wearing a helmet. He said he didn't get much sympathy. "Good," I said! I was glad that his Dad and I weren't the only ones to give him grief. I don't think he'll live this down for awhile, and I'll bet he'll be sporting a fat lip, bruising and maybe even scars for a time, that he maybe won't forget. I asked him why he broke the rules on the rink and he told me that over age 18, it is not a rule to wear a helmet. Now that's pretty stupid! Does the city think over 18 is too old to have rules?

I also kept thinking about how ALL the years he played hockey, from age 4 or 5 through high school, how fortunate we always felt that he never got hurt, in all those years! We always worried about his safety. Hockey can be rough. Of course, during those years he WAS always wearing helmet, mouthguard and proper equipment!