My dad told me not to run in church. I lasted five seconds. Sunday nights after service felt wide open, the grown‑ups were talking, and the sanctuary seemed built for speed.
I turned a corner and suddenly the staircase was looming right in front of me, the one that dropped down to the front doors and then even farther to the basement. I swerved at the last second, missed the stairs entirely, and hit the corner of a table face first. The shock came first, then the pain, then the tears.
I’d split my lip open, and there was more blood than my brain knew what to do with. It was a mess, but I put my hand over my mouth as fast as I could. In my six‑year‑old mind, if I covered it, maybe no one would notice that I was crying or that my face was leaking. A parishioner, my friend’s father, finally knelt in front of me and tried to coax my hand away. I shook my head and kept it there, still convinced I was hiding everything. When he eased my hand down, his eyes grew large at the jagged gash. He carried me down the alleyway to the house, with my parents and sisters walking beside us.
My mom called the hospital, but they said they didn’t stitch lips. So the cut healed on its own, and now I have a small bump and a tiny scar on my lower lip. It’s a quiet reminder of the night I learned that sometimes parents aren’t trying to spoil your fun. They’re trying to keep you from flying headfirst into a table.
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42 comments
God said- “Hmmm, the two stories of flight deck down to the basement” – or, as he gave you an extra push to clear the fall… Amazing Grace !
Thank you, Paul. Amazing Grace is a good way to put it. That fall could’ve gone very differently, and I’m grateful for the way it turned out.
Ouchee Kymber. It looks like you learned the hard way. I never knew you couldn’t stitch lips! 🥰
Thank you so much. You know, I think I learned everything the hard way. 😂
Quite a story! I guess you could have been hurt even more seriously. Your friend’s father sounds like he was a very kind man.
Thank you so much. Yes, it could have definitely been much worse. Jim was really kind, it’s true.
You’re welcome!
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Ouch! I am glad you are ok. This does suck though, hopefully you are good.
Oh yes, I’m quite fine now, thank you. The scar is a good reminder, though, of what I learned. 🫨😊
I am so sorry you fell and split your lip. It is great you remember it so well. When I was a kid I hit my chin in the floor and split it open. I was sitting on the vacuum cleaner when my mom pulled it and I fell forward. I still have the scar. However, I don’t remember anything, well I was younger.
Thank you, Thomas. Those childhood spills leave their marks whether we remember them or not. 🌺
Oh, kindred spirit! I too have that same bump and scar due to tripping while running after my brothers down the street at 4 yrs old. 😉CJ
Sounds like we earned matching badges early in life. Those childhood tumbles leave tiny souvenirs we carry forever.🌺
Perfectly said, Kymber🌹
Thank you. 🌺🩷
Hello CJD.Sign how are you doing?
Awwww, what a wonderful story and lesson learned. 🙂 When my oldest daughter was two, she was always jumping off things, no matter how much I tried to discourage her. One day, she jumped off a table and knocked her two front teeth out. It was a while before she got new ones in. 🙂
Aww, your poor girl. Kids really do leap first and think later. I can picture that tiny gap while her new teeth took their time. Thank you for sharing it.🩷🌺
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This made me think about the time Tasha bit her tongue so bad there was a lot of bleeding and I took her to the doctor who said nothing could be done and it would heal on its own
Jo‑Anne, that must have been awful for her. Tongue injuries bleed so much, and there’s nothing to do but wait for them to heal. I can imagine how shaken you both were in that moment.
I love your stories Kymber. They are always so interesting. This was a painful lesson, but for the lesson learned it was a small price to pay. Now in your adult reflection the lesson you remember is clear but the pain foggy! Thank you for sharing.
Peter‑James, thank you. Your reflections always carry such steady kindness. You’re right that the lesson stayed sharp while the pain softened, and I’m grateful for that balance now. I’m glad the story reached you.
😂 What a story … That last line says it all. Sometimes we think our parents are just trying to stop our fun, when they’re actually trying to protect us from the consequences we can’t see coming. That little scar became a lifelong reminder.
Great childhood memory …
Willie, you’re exactly right. As kids, we never see the danger coming, we just see the fun. That little scar turned into a lifelong reminder that my parents weren’t trying to slow me down, they were trying to keep me intact. Thank you for reading and for the kind words.
Ouch, this sounds like a painful lesson. I was a child like you. Always getting myself into trouble.
Robbie, I feel this deeply. Some of us were just born with a talent for finding trouble. That night was a painful lesson, but it fit right in with the rest of my childhood. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one constantly testing the limits.
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Ouch.
Right on, Di. Thank you.
I loved the title and thought it would be less about a tragedy and more about the impish behaviour of a tad. I can relate fully to the latter! My Sunday School buddy Dave (who is now a Minister) and I got caught, red-handed, swinging on the two light fixtures in the balcony. Ooooooops! The punishments were both long and severe!
Lovely writing again! xx
Pam, that’s priceless. There must be something about church buildings that turns kids into acrobats. Your light‑fixture adventure makes my table‑corner mishap look tame. I’m glad we both survived our Sunday antics, even if the punishments lasted longer than the fun. Thank you for the kind words, they mean a lot.
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Children do all kinds of crap 😂😂😂 and talk too sometimes. Ah! To be a child. I like children… friend’s children, children in school…the kind that u can have fun with and then they go back to their houses 😂😂😂
Right? Kids are pure chaos wrapped in innocence. I loved them most when I could hand them back at the end of the day.😂😂
That’s really a bad fall. It’s a reminder that we have to watch our steps.
That’s right, Aptivi. Good point! 😊
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Ouch! I’m so glad that you are okay, Kymber. Children running in stores and other places irritate me…
Thank you, John. I know what you mean; it’s so obnoxious.