I am starting a class in "Writing Family Stories" soon where I mostly motivate people to do it. One of the things we do in the class is write a story from a child's point of view in present tense. The "Bobbypin" happened to me when I was about 3 years old. My mother told me the details often enough that I was able to create the setting and details. I actually remember seeing the X-ray in the Drs. office. For me and hopefully for my family it is life-affirming because without the mishap in the car I would most likely have died.
THE BOBBYPIN
Written from child’s point of view
By Charmaine Anderson – September 2003
My mama is making me take a nap. I am three years old and I don’t need naps anymore but Mama doesn’t believe me. But I do get to sleep in her big bed and I like that. She makes her bed every day and it is smooth like snow when it falls in our yard. The blanket on the top has white fuzzy bumps on it. She hides the pillows under the top of the blanket and they look like two fat marshmallows. I don’t like to mess it up but I know Mama will make it look nice again when I get up.
I can’t sleep. My fingers are touching the fuzzy balls on the blanket. I pet them like I do the poodle dog that lives next door. I like the way they feel in my fingers. I am wiggling everywhere. I wish it wasn’t this hard to go to sleep. I need a book to look at—maybe that would help me. There is a bobby pin under the pillow. I will play with it for awhile. I like bobby pins. Mama puts them in her hair when she looks pretty. I mostly wear my hair in braids my Mama calls pigtails but if there is a hair hanging out and Mama can’t get it back in she will put a bobby pin in my hair too.
I like to chew on bobby pins because they have soft ends that feel good on my teeth. I am going to put it all in my mouth and see how it feels—OOPS! It went down my throat. I better tell Mama.
"Mama, come here, I need to tell you something."
"I am not coming. You go to sleep."
"I can’t Mama. I swallowed something. It is a bobby pin I found in the bed"
"You are just trying to get out of a nap. Now be quiet and go to sleep."
So, I am rubbing the blanket trying to go to sleep. I wonder what will happen to the bobby pin inside me? I’m getting tired.
Every day Mama is looking in the potty for the bobby pin after I go. I guess things go in the mouth and come out the bum. She hasn’t found it yet. She still doesn’t believe I swallowed it.
Today we are going to town in the car. I like to sit close to the door and look out the window. There are so many nice things to see. Once I saw a deer in the trees and another time some rabbits hopping along.
We are starting down the street. I am close to the door stretching to see out. As I lean against the door it opens and I feel myself falling on the road. I am very scared when I hit the ground and the tire of the car cuts my head. I am crying. I can hear my Mama screaming as she stops the car and jumps out. I know she is coming for me. When she picks me up I can feel the red blood running down my face and into my eyes. I can’t see but I can feel my Mama’s arms and they are shaking. She takes me to the car and picks up a diaper to put on my head. I am laying down in the back seat as the car is moving along. I am trying not to cry loud. Mostly I am scared.
Mama is crying so I know she is worried. I want to be a brave girl like she tells me to be when I fall down and hurt myself. She says we are going to the doctor and he will make me better. She carries me into a small white room and lays me on a cold hard table. The doctor is in a white coat and he looks nice. He washes my face with a cloth and it stings. I am not crying now even though my head is hurting. I can see tears in Mama’s eyes. The doctor is talking. "You are lucky, the skin above her eyebrow is cut but not bad. We can sew it together with 2 or 3 stitches. She will be fine." Mama smiles and reaches down and kisses me. She says that she was very worried about my eyes. With all the blood running in my face she couldn’t tell what was hurt. She squeezes my hand and I feel much better. The doctor sticks me with a sharp thing and it hurts. I cry again.
Now Mama is talking to the doctor. I stop crying to listen. "Two weeks ago when I put Charmaine down for a nap she told me she swallowed a bobby pin. I have been looking for it in the potty but have never found it. What do you think?"
The doctor says, "Let’s take a picture of her to see what is going on. We need to make sure nothing is broken from the fall, anyway."
Mama carries me into a dark room and lays me on a different hard table. A big machine comes close to me and a light blinks. I guess they are taking a picture of my insides. We finish and Mama lifts me in her arms and we go back to the doctor’s white room. There is a light behind a window and the doctor puts the picture on it and I can see a bobby pin. It is stuck inside me. The doctor says it must come out and he will have to operate to get it. He says that green things will get in there if they don’t and I could die.
We are on our way home in the car. There will be no shopping for us today. I am not sitting close to the door like I usually do. I sit close to Mama and she has her arm around me. I ask her what "operate" means and she says the doctor has to cut me open and take out the bobby pin because it is stuck and won’t come out. She says I will be asleep and nothing will hurt. I believe her. She turns toward me, "You know, I am glad you fell out of the car today. It saved your life. God must know I need my little girl." I’m not sure what she means, but I know she loves me.
I am taking a nap in the big bed with the marshmallow pillows. I don’t think it will be hard to sleep today and if I see a bobby pin I will throw it out.
THE BOBBYPIN
Written from child’s point of view
By Charmaine Anderson – September 2003
My mama is making me take a nap. I am three years old and I don’t need naps anymore but Mama doesn’t believe me. But I do get to sleep in her big bed and I like that. She makes her bed every day and it is smooth like snow when it falls in our yard. The blanket on the top has white fuzzy bumps on it. She hides the pillows under the top of the blanket and they look like two fat marshmallows. I don’t like to mess it up but I know Mama will make it look nice again when I get up.
I can’t sleep. My fingers are touching the fuzzy balls on the blanket. I pet them like I do the poodle dog that lives next door. I like the way they feel in my fingers. I am wiggling everywhere. I wish it wasn’t this hard to go to sleep. I need a book to look at—maybe that would help me. There is a bobby pin under the pillow. I will play with it for awhile. I like bobby pins. Mama puts them in her hair when she looks pretty. I mostly wear my hair in braids my Mama calls pigtails but if there is a hair hanging out and Mama can’t get it back in she will put a bobby pin in my hair too.
I like to chew on bobby pins because they have soft ends that feel good on my teeth. I am going to put it all in my mouth and see how it feels—OOPS! It went down my throat. I better tell Mama.
"Mama, come here, I need to tell you something."
"I am not coming. You go to sleep."
"I can’t Mama. I swallowed something. It is a bobby pin I found in the bed"
"You are just trying to get out of a nap. Now be quiet and go to sleep."
So, I am rubbing the blanket trying to go to sleep. I wonder what will happen to the bobby pin inside me? I’m getting tired.
Every day Mama is looking in the potty for the bobby pin after I go. I guess things go in the mouth and come out the bum. She hasn’t found it yet. She still doesn’t believe I swallowed it.
Today we are going to town in the car. I like to sit close to the door and look out the window. There are so many nice things to see. Once I saw a deer in the trees and another time some rabbits hopping along.
We are starting down the street. I am close to the door stretching to see out. As I lean against the door it opens and I feel myself falling on the road. I am very scared when I hit the ground and the tire of the car cuts my head. I am crying. I can hear my Mama screaming as she stops the car and jumps out. I know she is coming for me. When she picks me up I can feel the red blood running down my face and into my eyes. I can’t see but I can feel my Mama’s arms and they are shaking. She takes me to the car and picks up a diaper to put on my head. I am laying down in the back seat as the car is moving along. I am trying not to cry loud. Mostly I am scared.
Mama is crying so I know she is worried. I want to be a brave girl like she tells me to be when I fall down and hurt myself. She says we are going to the doctor and he will make me better. She carries me into a small white room and lays me on a cold hard table. The doctor is in a white coat and he looks nice. He washes my face with a cloth and it stings. I am not crying now even though my head is hurting. I can see tears in Mama’s eyes. The doctor is talking. "You are lucky, the skin above her eyebrow is cut but not bad. We can sew it together with 2 or 3 stitches. She will be fine." Mama smiles and reaches down and kisses me. She says that she was very worried about my eyes. With all the blood running in my face she couldn’t tell what was hurt. She squeezes my hand and I feel much better. The doctor sticks me with a sharp thing and it hurts. I cry again.
Now Mama is talking to the doctor. I stop crying to listen. "Two weeks ago when I put Charmaine down for a nap she told me she swallowed a bobby pin. I have been looking for it in the potty but have never found it. What do you think?"
The doctor says, "Let’s take a picture of her to see what is going on. We need to make sure nothing is broken from the fall, anyway."
Mama carries me into a dark room and lays me on a different hard table. A big machine comes close to me and a light blinks. I guess they are taking a picture of my insides. We finish and Mama lifts me in her arms and we go back to the doctor’s white room. There is a light behind a window and the doctor puts the picture on it and I can see a bobby pin. It is stuck inside me. The doctor says it must come out and he will have to operate to get it. He says that green things will get in there if they don’t and I could die.
We are on our way home in the car. There will be no shopping for us today. I am not sitting close to the door like I usually do. I sit close to Mama and she has her arm around me. I ask her what "operate" means and she says the doctor has to cut me open and take out the bobby pin because it is stuck and won’t come out. She says I will be asleep and nothing will hurt. I believe her. She turns toward me, "You know, I am glad you fell out of the car today. It saved your life. God must know I need my little girl." I’m not sure what she means, but I know she loves me.
I am taking a nap in the big bed with the marshmallow pillows. I don’t think it will be hard to sleep today and if I see a bobby pin I will throw it out.
