My wonderful Mother started a tradition with my kids by taking each one to Disneyland for three days when they are five years old. Three days alone with Nana to rule Disneyland. This is pretty much all a kid could ask for at five. Each of my kids have had a completely different experience and made some fantastic memories for my Mom. So, this year was Sarah's turn. She is so much like my Mom in personality. Practical and serious and very opinionated. She planned what she wanted to do in the park after looking at a tour booklet provided by the travel agent. I never worry(well, not much) when the kids are with my Mom. She has the luxury of giving them her full attention, which I appreciate so much, as someone who feels a little overscheduled most days. We checked in with a quick phone call the first day, just to make sure they arrived safely and all was well. Life went on here as usual, with one sweet voice missing. The second day, I get a phone call that started out with the usual, "Hi, how are you? sentences and then went quickly awry. The next thing my Mom said was "Sarah is ok." Well, of course she was, she was in the land of sunshine and princesses with "The Queen", what's gonna be wrong with her? Then, it all gets a little surreal as Mom says Sarah fell off the train and the "nurse" needs to speak with you. Still a little confused, I wonder which train? Are we talking the toddler train in the little kids area, or the Small World train? Mom says, "The train that circles the park." and I notice that her voice sounds a little funny at this point. Well, I haven't been to Disneyland in over 15 years so I can't picture what train she's talking about, but she says the nurse needs to talk to me. The "nurse" introduces himself to me as an employee of the Park and ask permission to treat my daughter. I say yes, and he proceeds to describe her injuries, which are abrasions to her face and a contusion on her forehead. When you watch as much CSI and Law and Order as I do, you just don't want to hear abrasions and contusion in the same sentence as your family member's name. Your mind immediately goes to autopsies. So, I'm still trying to figure out exactly what has occured in "The Greatest Place on Earth" when the nurse asks if he can apply neopsporin to her abrasions. That's when it finally hits me that there has been an "incident" involving my daughter that required "permission to treat" and who knows how much paperwork. I'm now cursing my inability to squeeze through the phone lines and be with my Mom and Sarah. The nurse senses that I might be a little concerned now(read nearing hysteria) and offers to let me talk to Sarah, after explaining that she is conscious and answering questions and appears to have no serious injuries. Then he passes the phone to my five year old! I'm trying to be calm and talk to her without upsetting her. She does seem to be ok and we talk for a few minutes, but I really want to scream that I'm on my way and I'll meet them at the nearest hospital. (Let me pause for a quick aside to explain that this was a week before the incident involving a minor head injury that killed a notable actress. Had I known death could be caused by such a small bump, I would have flown the plane to LA myself.) At this point, my Mom takes the phone and says they are heading back to the hotel to rest and recover. I hang up and start to shake. Nothing was seriously wrong, I had been assured by my Mom, the nurse and the Spirit that they were ok and I did not need to head to CA, but I suddenly process all the things that could have happened to a little girl falling off a train in an amusement park. Luckily, Mike was home and talked me through the shock brought by the call. I'm still a little surprised by the emotions of the experience. It was really a minor accident, not a lot worse than what can happen on any playground, but the helplessness added to the moment. They girls went back to their hotel and lounged around in their bathrobes. That was the one thing Sarah was set on buying from Disneyland, a princess bathrobe. They hit the ground running on their last day and all was well. Sarah's face has since healed and the trip was a success. I'll never forget the day though, that our Ladybug tried to "fly" at Disneyland.
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