I have a small but noticeable bump on my forehead. When I bend down I can feel the pulsing sensation of pain shoot to that localized spot at the right hand corner of my head. Where did I acquire this bump, you might ask? From my now 18 month old son when he accidentally kicked me in the face and laughed his head off afterwards.

These days I am a walking bunching bag for my toddler. He inadvertently injures me and laughs afterwards. Sometimes I audibly whimper after his kicks, scratches or bruises me to let him know: “That hurt mommy, ouch!” And then he has a look of quiet concern on his face. But I don’t want him to feel that badly, so I quickly go back to playing with him to distract him from what just happened.

Needless to say, this needs to stop. But I am having a difficult time figuring out how to curb these random injuries and how to react after being accidentally injured.