i spent most of the morning at the emergency room with my five-year-old charge, who fell while running and cut his head open. he's fine thank goodness - the cut required only two stitches and he was a complete trouper throughout the whole thing but i feel completely wiped out. i've been in a few minor emergency situations with kids over the past few years but this was the first copiously bloody wound i've seen and i now know that my reaction to blood is abject panic. i called 911 right away -- the ambulance arrived in less than 5 minutes but those 5 minutes felt like a looooong damn time...

thisaway - thataway