Picking oneself up

So, I was at the doctor's office this morning, having the wart of last week profesionally removed, instead of just digging it out myself. I originally planned on walking to the doctor's office, thinking that driving 1200 yards as incredibly wasteful. As I was about to leave the house, 40 minutes earlier than my appointment to give myself plenty of time to walk over, I realized that, well, if I do manage to have done to my foot that I want done, walking back those 1200 yards would be, well, stupid.

So, I drove.

Arriving 30 minutes before my appointment, I pulled out my laptop, which I had packed lightly in my bag, and started working on pounds.

Around me were lots of old people, a few younger people and a couple more toddlers, brothers from the look of it, neither over 3 based on size and grasp of language constructs.

The two kids ran around and ran around and jumped on chairs and climbed over walls and continued to run around. Unsurprisingly, after a few minutes of this, one of the boys, the youger one, tripped and fell over seemingly nothing, maybe his own feet.

Having watched Liza and Maeryn and Mirabelle and Danger and Sophie run around and trip and fall over nothing, and having watched Mike and Kate and Mark and Megan and Keith and Katie and Pickett and Nichole react with a "Ooopsie!" and a bouncy "You're fine! Hop up!" I expected the same from the mother of the kid who had just tripped.

Instead she rushed over to him, as he looked up at her. When he saw her over her, he began to cry and cry and, good lord shut that kid up, cry.

I wonder how that kid is going to grow up. I find Liza and Maeryn and Alex and Mirabelle well adjusted kids (sure, each has "issues," but every kid does right?), able to pick themselves up when they fall and keep going. That kid couldn't stand up when he had an audience. Will he always need one? Or will he learn to pick himself up when falls?