My Gimpy Limp

Children mimic their parents and Robby is no exception. He loves to "help" around the house, and will do this by copying everything that I do. I've learned to utilize this eagerness to help by teaching him how to perform basic housekeeping tasks like wiping down the counters or putting his own dishes away.

I was watching Robby play in the driveway this morning, and I had an opportunity to watch him walking towards me. I noticed that he was limping on his left side. Immediately concerned, I asked him if he was hurt.

Robby told me that he was hurt. I asked him where he was hurt, but he was not answering. I became worried, and scooped him up and carried him inside. Being nearly 40 pounds, this is no easy task!

I carried him into my bedroom, and placed him on the bed. I took off his left shoe and sock and began to examine his foot. I didn't notice anything unusual, so I continued by looking at his ankle and knee. Everything looked fine and nothing explained the limp.

I asked Robby if he was hurt, and he said yes. He then proceeded to crawl off the bed, run to the kitchen and grab the ice cream out of the freezer. He came towards me, carrying the ice cream but not limping. He handed me the ice cream and told me he was hurt. Then I had an epiphany.

When Robby fell off his bike a few days ago, Daddy made his boo boos better by giving him an ice cream cone. Robby now figures that he'll get ice cream every time he is hurt. When asked if he was hurt, he took it as the opportunity to get ice cream.

He is always observing and learning. Like many amputees, I have a slight limp. Sometimes the limp is more severe, depending on how the socket is fitting and how my stump feels. Overall, I am not concerned about my limp and I have learned to accept it.

In the driveway, Robby was simply mimicking me. He was walking like Mommy but, thankfully, there was nothing wrong with his foot. I had overreacted, again! And he told me that he was hurt in order to get ice cream.