My son hurts.
He tries so hard to follow the rules, to do the right thing.
He doesn’t always get it right.
He used to spread his hurt to others. Backwards headbutts, hitting, kicking, biting, hurting.
Now he tries to stop himself; it’s a visible struggle.
When he does wrong, especially when it’s accidental, his instant reaction is to lash out.
He’s learning to contain it, to control it, but his anger, his shame has nowhere to go.
He screams, he cries, he thumps his hands up and down, until he contains them in his mouth.
He doesn’t hit, he doesn’t bite, he sometimes throws, but never with intent to hurt.
He tries his best, he doesn’t want to hurt anyone.
Sometimes he does’t get it right.
He tries not to spread his hurt.
But he does. It’s too visible not to be passed on.
All I can do his to hold him, hug him, tell him I love him.
To see him struggle; it hurts.
Tile Image: Morgan Basham
