I think I just committed my most horrific goof ever as a mom. I slow baked my children. It all started out very innocently. We had a total blast at Galveston beach today. They discovered the tide and salty water. Ivan kept yelling, "here it comes" and running out to catch the waves. He kept going at it even when the waves knocked him over and put him under a couple of times (with momma close at hand to scoop him out of course). He was buried in the sand multiple times. Dominique also had a blast crawling all over and checking out the waves. We had a picnic lunch all lightly coated in sand, collected a few seashells as cheap souvenirs and thought the day was a fabulous success.
Then Nanna said she'd gotten some sun. What? It had been drizzling and cold when we'd gotten there, to the point where Ivan was cold and shivering (he had run out into the water in his clothes), so at some point in the morning since they were both in cold, wet, sandy clothes, I'd changed them into swim diapers and left them unclothed. At one point the sun peeked out and I said "I should have put sunscreen on them", but wasn't sure how to accomplish this since they were both coated in sand. Each time I'd rinse them in the water, they were wet, or sandy still or wet and sandy. That wouldn't be good to put cream on wet sandy skin would it? That was the moment when the parent police was supposed to come give me a citation and tell me to get them either in clothes or sunscreen.
Yep, I've got two fried children now- you know, scary red- cheeks, shoulders, back, chest and top of legs- everywhere that has not seen sun yet this summer. The rest that already has a tan was fine. Dominique has been totally cooperative letting me put aloe vera on her every 3 minutes or so. Ivan is not wanting anymore treatments. She still has suptle cool skin. His is starting to get hot and dry- so I'll torture him through the night, applying aloe while I cry inside. I've almost come to tears a few times as I look at them and pray this will have no long lasting implications.
What a perfectly horrible way to finish off a great day. May this at least be a lesson, so that I'll never burn them again.
5 comments:
As scarey as it is to look down on sunburnt skin on your baby...it's not the end of the world, and the suffering will be short lived. YOU will remember it long after the burn has faded, and they will have no memory of it by next week. Don't be so hard on yourself! If I beat myself up everytime I messed up, I'd feel guilty and horrible everyday of my life as a mother!!! We all look back a little too late on things we've done and wish we could reverse it, but as long as you learn from your mistakes and remember to apply sunscreen before the water/sand activities...then you'll do it differently next time! That is all you can do now...and keep applying the aloe vera! You'll all be fine in the end...trust me on this!!!
I leave town, and the kids burnt. Nice.
I love you
I used to tease my brother Jon that when he had a sun burn he looked like neapolitian (sp) icecream. You know the extra white skin, the freckles and the burn!
Go easy on yourself Ang.
Roberta
I think every parent has that same experience. You can ask my folks (I burn so easily that it happened at least once a year) or Jason's and they will comiserate with you. The plus side? As an adult I know that I have to wear sunscreen every single day!
Don't listen to Brian. It will not be the last time that they have a sun burn. You can't prevent things like that everytime. You tried your best to take care of them as much as you could. And that means that you are a great Mom, not a bad one.
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