Soccer Dad

Broken toe

Ripstik - $77 at Amazon.

A trip to the emergency room - Don't know, haven't seen the insurance statement yet.

Spending quality time with my 14 year old waiting for the "urgent care" professional - priceless.

Our son really wants a Ripstik - an he'll probably get one.

Last night, my wife called and said that he needed to be picked up from Yeshiva because he thought that he broke his toe.

So I drove there and picked him and he hobbled to the car. He didn't need my shoulder. Clearly he was in discomfort.

After driving for about 5 minutes, I asked how did it happen? He told me. He was showing a friend how to ride a Ripstik; he accidentally mounted it with his left foot first (the friend he was demonstrating for is a lefty) the board slipped out from under him and he landed on his toe.

I asked him if a Ripstik was the item he wanted us to get for him for his Afikomen present. (He is planning to lay out some of the money for it himself.) He smiled sheepishly and said, "yes."

We got to the hospital. Admitting and getting the X-ray, went pretty quickly. It looked like we'd be out in an hour like the triage nurse told us. But then we had to wait for an "urgent care" doctor to look at him. That took about two hours. During that time we were able to talk and joke. I don't get to see or talk to him that much because he's at Yeshiva most nights and every other Shabbos. I miss him a lot. (In previous years we'd play catch when it was dark out by the front lights; even that opportunity doesn't exist these days.)

So last night we got to spend quality time together, which was great.

Among our children he's the only one to go to the emergency room multiple times. The first was when he crashed into a fence and gashed his forehead. (He has a lightning shaped scar there. There is no truth to the rumor that Hillary Clinton disappeared immediately after this incident.) Two years ago he broke his finger. And last night he broke his toe.

He did tell me that if he has his choice of limbs to break in the future, he would choose the finger instead of the toe. Good to know, but hopefully he won't break either in the future.

In the meantime, we have to schedule an appointment with an orthopedist tomorrow. And we'll wait on getting him that Ripstik.