As a parent, you hold within you multitudes of stories about your children. Their first everything, that funny time they did this or that, on and on the list goes. But all parents hold at least one story about each child that stands above all the rest. The story that years later has you in tears because you are laughing so hard it is near impossible to tell the listener.
When my children were about 3 and 4, I obtained this particular type of story from my son Lake. It was a sunny and warm Friday, a day that my work schedule required me to work a half day in the afternoon. I always hated that schedule because I couldn't really do much to enjoy the morning with my kids before it was a mad rush to get ready for work, gather up the kids and whatever needed to go with them, drop them off at daycare, and run into work. All to work 4 hours. Anyway, on this particular Friday, I was trying to get ready and finish up one or two last minute things before rushing out the door. I had yelled out to Sage and Lake to get their shoes on and head to the car. I remember being in the kitchen when Sage yelled from the front porch that Lake was running outside to pet a kitty, and Lake saying "Oh look! Kitty!". I yelled at him to leave it alone because it was probably a stray and you just never knew what type of temperament they had. I had just finished up in the kitchen and was just about to the porch when I heard him cry out. I ran out to the porch to see what had happened and it was worse than I could have imagined.
The kitty was a skunk...
I ran outside as fast as I could while yelling at Sage to stay on the porch and Lake to get away from the skunk. He was close enough to the skunk that he was doused with spray, some even in his face. I stripped him right there in the front yard and then took him into the bathroom. While turning on the shower, I called work to let them know I would be pretty late due to a skunk issue then called my husband, Mike. He happened to be only 5 minutes away. I then called poison control because I had no clue what to do about Lake's face and I was concerned that he had gotten some of the spray in his eyes.
On a side note, if you ever have this happen, all they tell you is to rinse with water and keep an eye on the infected area.
When Mike got home, the skunk was still in the area so Mike killed it as it appeared to have mange. At that point I was thanking any and all entity that my son had only been sprayed and not bitten. We got Lake cleaned up as best we could and then I cleaned up as best I could. Mike was able to keep the kids home with him so off to work I went. Going to work when all you can smell is skunk radiating from your hands is not fun at all. I think I spent the first half hour at work washing my hands in bleach just to rid myself of the smell. My boss came up to me and sniffed me to see if I smelled too. Yes...he sniffed me. Awkward!
After the rush of adrenaline wore off and the story was told, I could see the hilarity in it. To this day, we warn Lake that if the "kitty" is black with a white stripe on it's back, to avoid it at all costs. Now that he is 8, he doesn't find it too funny. We however do.
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