In Which Social Butterfly and I Have 50 First Dates

I used to belong to a cult. Suz at Random Thoughts of a Busy Bee still belongs to the cult. Her posts have been making me think back on my time with the cult. Were we Moonies? Scientologists? No; we were part of the cult of Tournament Softball. Our sect was All-Stars; I believe she's in the more stringent Travel Ball sect.

It was our daughter that facilitated our departure--we were happy there. We had our peeps, we had our summer planned, we were drinking the kool-aid every weekend. She however, was done; she wanted to be a cheerleader. Which she is, but not before we tried to persuade her to be a volleyball player. It was a valiant effort, but no.

 

The Notorious All-Star Softball Cult. They will take your money and your free time. And you will like it!

Today's Flashback Friday is about an incident that happened in SB's last All-Star season; she was about 10+1/2. Old enough to be home alone for a short while, so when Mr. Fix-it was held up at work while Grown-up Girl and I were out shopping for bedding at a mall about 15 miles away from home, I told the mom that we carpooled with to drop her at home and let her know her Dad would be there soon. So that's what Carpool Mom did.

GuG and I are perusing the comforters at JCPenney when my cell phone rings.

SB: Mom, where are you?

Me: The mall. GuG and I are looking for a new comforter. Dad will be home any minute.

SB: Okay

Still perusing. Cell phone rings.

SB: Mom, where are you?

Me: ? I just told you, at the mall. Dad will be home soon.

SB: Okay.

Perusing. Ring.

SB: Mom, where are you?

Me: I just told you. What's going on? Are you fooling around?

SB: I don't know. I just don't know what's going on. I don't know who's here. I don't know anything. I'm scared.

No longer perusing. Walking rapidly toward exit. Give phone to GuG to talk to SB while I use GuG's phone to call OMomK (my bff, SB's other mother) to see if she can head over to stay with SB until one of us gets there. She's on her way. Call Carpool Mom to ask if her daughter knows if anything happened to SB at practice. Indeed. There was a collision between SB and a girl several inches taller than her during a drill. SB's chin hit taller girls shoulder and both girls went down.

As an aside, Carpool Mom's daughter complained about SB once she was out of the car. "Geez, mom, she was so annoying. She kept saying "I don't know how to play this game. Everyone was laughing at her." CM says to her daughter, "Maybe she was goofing around, pretending she had amnesia because she hit her head."

Or, maybe she had amnesia because she hit her head?!

OMomK stays with her while I drive down the freeway at 110 mph. We go to urgent care, but they send us to Children's Hospital. From the time I pick SB up at about 5:00 to the time she begins to retain memory at about 3:00 a.m. our conversations go like this. They happen at 3 minute intervals:

SB: Where am I?

Me: You are in the car/at urgent care/in the E.R./waiting for a CAT scan/ you hit your head on E's shoulder in practice and you have amnesia.

SB: Oh.

Would you be surprised to find that after about 5 hours I begin to giggle hysterically when she asks, "Where am I?"

Then there's the point where the CAT scan results are back and the neurologist diagnoses a Contrecoup, closed head injury with no internal bleeding (thank goodness, since the coach gave her Advil for her headache after the collision). She'll be out of commission for a week. I say, "So she won't be playing in Big Bear this weekend." She begins to sob (Big Bear is big fun). I pat her hand and say, "Don't worry honey, you're not going to remember this conversation in five minutes." I'm not sure the neurologist and I shared the same since of humor.

Her only memories of that day are of breakfast. Everything else is gone. It's been 3 years and she doesn't seem to have any ill effects from the concussion. The League instituted the Social Butterfly Player Collision Protocol, so no one gives Advil to hurt players or laughs at them when they say they don't know how to do a drill after being knocked to the ground after being hit on the head. We went to Big Bear to cheer the other players.

   Those long legs are now bare in a cheer uniform--no more softball tan!

              

                           Looks like she was throwing a strike!

Comments

[Cheri @ Blog This Mom!]

I pat her hand and say, "Don't worry honey, you're not going to remember this conversation in five minutes."

You and me? We share the same sense of humor. You made me laugh out loud. I would have said the same thing.

But still. OMG. Her poor head.

[Kalynne Pudner]

Ditto, Cheri, AGAIN. (This is getting old, y'know, sharing her sense of humor. Especially after she admits on her own blog that she's basically stoned.)

I'm so glad SB is okay. And please don't take it wrong if I say she really is too cute to be a softball player, anyway.

[Tina]

Ouch. How scary!

[Jennifer H]

Seriously scary. Glad she was all right.

(I would probably have gotten the giggles, too, at some point...!)

[Hen]

I pat her hand and say, "Don't worry honey, you're not going to remember this conversation in five minutes."....
....this is why you won a prize!

It awaits you over at mine!
xxxx

[kcinnova]

Very frightening situation! I'd be scared spitless.
I'm sure the neurologist preferred your way of handling it over someone who flips out.

[Mary Alice]

Oh my goodness. That would scare me to death. We have had more than our fair share of ER visits and head injuries....but none, thank goodness, resulted in memory loss.

[Claudia]

SO scary Jenn!! Thank god you guys have your humor to keep you all strong! Laughter is the best medicine.

[Yolanda]

hahaha! glad she's safe. good to know it's okay to giggle.

[Hilary]

Oh my! How scary that had to be for you. Thank goodness it turned out fine. And a sense of humour always helps.

[Fannie]

Head injuries are scary stuff. Glad she was OK.

[Asthmagirl]

Wow, what a story. That is so odd about all memory from that day being gone...

So glad she's okay!

[MamaMo]

Amazing ability to keep your calm (and your sense of humor) in a situation like this. I haven't been tested like that yet (knock on wood), but here's hoping I do half as well when the time comes.
50 First Dates is one of my favoritest movies!

[Belle]

Lord have mercy...I've been there! Was in the All-Star cult AND cheerleader cult at the same time. It 'bout did us in. My little darling is headed to college in a month...now we're going to be in the Clemson football cult. LOVE your blog and glad that everything is OK after such a scare.

[manager mom]

Arrgh... my kids are SO clumsy and I have nightmares about situations like these. Glad she is OK>

[gary]

whew, how does anyone survive childhood?

[Melanie @ Mel, A Dramatic Mommy]

Holy cripes I would have been so scared. Thank goodness all turned out well. Except for the no memory of the day part. Whew! What a story.

[Lisa]

I am truly grateful I have girls that hate team sports right now.
Scary time!

[Susan]

Whew! Glad that all worked out ok...what a scary thing to deal with. I can totally see how you would get the giggles once the "scared to death" part wore down. :)

[Mike Golch]

Glad all worked out Ok. getting banged in the head is no laughing matter. two weeks ago tomarrow I fell and hit the driveway so had I bounced off of it and Hit my head a second time. that was fun ang games going to the E/R.

[teresa (maggiegracecreates)]

I live in the travel ball sect myself. I just got a bill for the out that won the SLUGFEST.

Seems Softball Princess and the runner trying to steal third base collided and broke the bone in the base of the thumb.

That freakin out cost me 6000.00

I am simply paying for college a game at a time.

[Minnesota Matron]

Okay, the Matron cannot believe that the mother who drove your child home did NOT CALL YOU! She wants to bop that woman over the head.

[julie]

Well that's pretty scary! Especially since my daughter is playing Travel Ball this summer.

[LaskiGal]

Holy tamale!!! Do people still say that? Well, regardless, that was what I couldn't help but think when reading . . .

Crazy, scary, and funny . . . all at the same time!

[Just Jamie]

Okay, ouch. To think of all the trips to the ER that are ahead of me (crossing my fingers for NONE).

You're a fabulous Mom.

[stephanie (bad mom)]

Head injuries can produce some spooky (but possibly amusing...) stuff. My sister-in-law once got a concussion during a car accident and drove Stu crazy with her loop of questions every 5 minutes.

So glad she's better and loving the cheerleading. (Fantastic shot of the strike pitch, btw!)