Oh - the angst !

Our DGS broke his wrist whilst we were looking after him and we didn't realise! Was taken to hospital the next day by other granny.

It’s happened to me too.
And, don’t you feel awful and guilty at the same time.

We had 3 years providing live in care for GD till she was 3. I was a bag of nerves with her sitting in the back seat whilst I drove her somewhere. The worst incident occurred whilst I unthinkingly accepted a last minute place on a morning course leaving DH in charge. We had not discussed protocol for his going to the loo so he left her playing quietly whilst he nipped upstairs. I came back to find him holding a soggy sobbing blood stained toddler who had seized the opportunity to play on her buggy and upended it so that the handle knocked out a tooth! (bad design but still...). We rendezvoused at the hospital with mum having been unable to find the tooth anywhere. An X-ray located it embedded in her gum and it had to be extracted. Five years of anxiety (ours) followed till the adult tooth came in with only a slight blemish. Mum was very gracious about it and GD coped magnificently throughout but we had a massive row about lots of other things later in the week and are still recovering.....tentatively.... We found the responsibility of looking after someone else's child terrifying. All care was jointly provided thereafter......

When my daughter was little she broke her arm at the park while my mil was looking after her. Mil felt awful and as much as I tried to reassure her that accidents happen she still feels guilty (my daughter is now 30!). Now that I have a grand-daughter I totally understand how she must have felt at the time. It's a different level of responsibility but accidents still happen.

Absolutely identify with you hazel93. I look after my grandson 2 days a week and dread the bumps and scrapes. I took him to toddler group last week and spent some time carefully showing him how to hold and use a pair of children’s safety scissors. Returned them to the craft table only for him to grab them back and proceed to make two cuts in his t-shirt. I was mortified, luckily his mum was very pragmatic and said oh well at least it wasn’t him! Kids - who’d have ‘em!

hazel93. I woudn't worry. I do a lot of babysitting for my daughter looking after her 2 children. I was picking up the little girl from nursery one day when she was only 1, she could not walk at the time so I carried her and I tripped over and went flying on the ground still trying to hang on to her. I felt so stupid and really upset. I only ever told a friend and my mother. I never have told my daughter to this day.

While caring for my grandson some years ago, he had a slight accident for which I felt he needed to see the doctor. I took him to the GP but was unable to see a doctor without written permission from his parents. I phoned my son to get permission but a letter on file was also necessary.

I know how you feel hazel93. When DGS1 was 2, I took him to the park, we were walking along when he spotted the playground and suddenly bolted - running straight in front of a girl on a swing She couldn't possibly miss him, and the swing hit him in the mouth, splitting his lip and throwing him several feet away onto the ground..!!
I had to mop up the blood and tears, and take him home to be patched up with his little lip all swollen ? Luckily, his teeth had escaped damage - and his DM & DF were very understanding - but it took me ages to lose the guilty feeling..!!

I used to be very overprotective of my two daughters, but now I work part time in a primary school, I see bumps, scratches, grazes, bites and the occasional greenstick fracture that I realise it's completely normal. Little human beings will trip, fall and occasionally fight. That's part of growing up and luckily the majority of our parents are very blase about their children's injuries and take them in their stride.

I really was not concerned regarding her parents reaction, as expected they were totally sanguine.
It was my feeling of guilt and ineptitude that I was not expecting !!
No doubt I will learn to relax in the future, at least I hope to !

I once discovered a scar on the back of my head. I was told that my cousin had dropped me when I was a baby.

He was 15 years older than me and was always very protective of me after that.