I'm thinking of redoing the room in a nice rubber padding.

We've had bloodshed two days in a row down in the preschool.

Yesterday, a coat being threshed went wild and the zipper nicked a very small cheek. There was some very small blood that required a very small band-aid. There was also what I suspect was an already badly chapped lip freezing to a cold bus window and getting yanked off, resulting in a ghoulish mess. Both victims were pretty stoic for three year olds and it was taken care of with minimal drama.

Today, though, there was a bludgeoning. We have some of those wooden blocks with the metal snaps on them. The kids like to make block-robots and walk them around jerkily, saying "I.AM.A.ROBOT." I ask for the directives and they have to come up with a function. My favorite was the waving robot.

Child: "I.AM.A.ROBOT."

Me: "Greetings! What is your directive?

Child: "Uh....Oh! I.AM.A.WAVING.ROBOT. I. WAVE.AT.YOU." and then he wiggled the little arm at me. I laughed and laughed. I loved Wall-E after all.

Today though, not so funny. One little guy,(this same one, actually) wielding one of these blocks, friggin' clubbed his cousin across the back of the head with it. I broke it up and made him apologize, but the cousin didn't stop crying so I checked his head for owies. I thought his black hair was just sweaty until I realized there was red on my fingers. The poor kid had a bleeding gash across the back of his skull.

I feel so bad when they get hurt on my watch! I suppose I could bubble-wrap the room and make them wear those little straitjacket/mitten ensembles, but then they would be miserable too. I guess we all have to get tough and stay vigilant.