Dr. Mom to the rescue

There are many reasons I'm not a physician. The main one is that Perdue men don't do well under stressful conditions that involve blood, cuts, broken bones, etc.

Legend has it my father passed out when he had to get a blood test prior to my parents getting married. My brother, Joe, is notorious for getting queasy, even to the point of unconsciousness, when he sees a needle. I faint at the sight of an X-ray, particularly my own.

Melissa knows this about the Perdues. I once sliced a bit off my finger while cutting apart a bagel, and she suddenly was more concerned about how to get me off the floor than how to stem the bleeding. She also knew that, going into parenthood, she would likely have to be the primary when Niranjana hurt herself.

That time has finally come.

At school today, Niranjana somehow cut her finger. It involved crying, a bit of blood and a band-aid. Niranjana likes band-aids quite a lot, so she proudly showed it off when I got home from work tonight.

A few minutes ago, Melissa and Niranjana took off the band-aid to assess the damage. A bit of skin was flapping around - not a lot, but enough to make me woozy.

While Melissa laughed at me (as she always does in these situations), Niranjana said very matter of factly, "It's OK, Daddy! I'll be all right!"

They're upstairs now getting everything fixed and covered up. I'll just mill around the kitchen for a few more minutes.