My six-year-old, Julian, was bursting with pride and excitement. He had finally mastered the monkey bars at school, and now, he could do them in our backyard all by himself. No more asking me to spot him. No more holding his legs. Just pure joy and independence.
I’d been waiting for this moment. Like Julian, I am not someone who is naturally sporty or athletic, but in time, learned to embrace challenging my body and found joy in fitness. I was thrilled to see him discover a way to move his body that felt good and fun.
After he conquered the monkey bars, he couldn’t wait to play outside after school to practice. This was a huge shift—from the kid who usually needed serious convincing to go outside (bugs, heat, and allergies didn’t help) to someone eager for fresh air and movement. He was turning over a new leaf, and I was ecstatic.
That is… until the incident.
It was a slow Saturday morning. We were getting ready to leave for a family outing, and I decided to hop in the shower now that the kids were dressed and ready to go. Mid-shampoo, Julian burst into the bathroom—tears streaming, voice shaky. At first, I didn’t think much of it (showers in a house with young kids rarely go uninterrupted), but this was different. His cries were laced with pain and panic.
“Mommy, I fell off the monkey bars and it hurts so bad … I think I need to go to the hospital.”
His wrist wasn’t swollen, which gave me pause. So, I gave him some Advil and tried an ice pack. But the pain wasn’t going away. It was intense, and he couldn’t calm down.
Eventually, I took him to urgent care. An X-ray confirmed what I hoped wasn’t true—a buckle fracture – the wrist that caught his fall essentially squished & buckled together. Urgent care didn’t have a cast small enough cast for his skinny wrists, so they wrapped him in a temporary bandage and referred us to an orthopedist.
By Monday, we had an appointment at the Young Athletes Center at Washington University’s Specialty Care Center. The doctor explained that while adult bones snap like brittle twigs, kids’ bones are more like green branches—they bend and splinter. He would make a full recovery. She placed him in a bright blue cast above the elbow with strict instructions to avoid any physical activities and water for 4 weeks. She said that 95% of the broken bone cases they see are from monkey bars, dirt bikes and trampolines … definite food for thought. The mom guilt started to sink in …
Over the next month Julian struggled to watch his friends run, jump, and play sports, while he sat on the sidelines. There were some moments of frustration and tears. But there were also some exciting moments too – like getting extra attention from teachers and collecting autographs on his cast.
When the cast finally came off, we were all relieved! He transitioned into a removable soft brace and was given directions to take it easy and proceed with caution. The wrist would need more time to harden before getting back into athletics, including monkey bars.
Looking back, my biggest fear throughout this experience was that this accident would kill Julian’s excitement for athletics and prevent Julian from attempting the monkey bars again.
But when I asked Julian what he was most excited to do most this summer, his answer was immediate, “Go to The Ultimate Ninja and climb!” That was music to ears.
Despite the broken wrist, his spirit—and his love of monkey bars—remains unshaken.
As a mom, I still have some guilt that I wasn’t outside when he fell. Of course, I want to protect him and shield him from every hurt. But this experience reminded me that the goal isn’t to avoid every fall, but to help our kids build the strength to keep climbing.
If your child should ever need urgent orthopedic assistance, here’s a tip I’ve learned that will save you time & money!
- Rather than go to Urgent Care, which wasn’t fully equipped to handle my child, go directly to a walk-in or same day appointment orthopedic clinic.
- Washington University has 4 walk-in Orthopedic Clinics in the St Louis area – these are great for kids 6 and up.
- You can also bring children of any age with orthopedic needs/emergencies to the Young Athletes Center, which offers same day appointments. There are 2 locations in St Louis, one inside the Specialty Care Center in West County and the other at Children’s Hospital at Barnes Jewish.
