Have You Ever Injured Yourself While Playing With Your Kids?

Part of being a good parent is playing with your kids. Part of being a great parent is playing with your kids without getting hurt. My kids love to roller skate in our basement, so I decided I would surprise them by taking them to the skating rink.  Initially they were all ecstatic, and that lasted for all of five minutes.  Ben, my oldest, was in heaven skating lap after lap with a smile on his face the whole time.  Hayli and Parker acted like stepping on to the rink was like jumping into shark-infested waters, and insisted on going home immediately.

After dropping almost $30 for a three-hour skate session and skate rental for myself, I wasn't having it. I took the younger two out hoping that going with Dada would ease their fear.  It wasn't until I made the first turn on the rink that I realized that after not skating in almost 20 years, I wasn't as good as I used to be.

Before we made it through the first half of the lap, Hayli went one was and Parker went the other... and that's when it happened.  I lost my balance and looked as awkward as Inspector Gadget on his Gadget-skates!

People always say that you injure yourself more often if you try to stop yourself from falling, rather than just hitting the ground, but instinct kicks in. I tried to catch myself, and in the process ended up with a severely sprained right wrist. As if that didn't hurt enough, I never realized how much I use my right hand in everyday life. In fact, typing this is a very ironic and painful challenge.

I remember a few years back when my wife and Ben were romping and she ended up with a broken nose. Parker and I had an incident where we were playing on his bed, and in an effort to make sure he didn't get hurt when we started to fall, I ended up with matching gashes on each of my legs. In all three of these scenarios, the kids were fine and my wife and I needed medical attention.

I asked some of my Facebook friends if they have ever injured themselves while playing with their kids, and here's what they had to say.

So now it's your turn. Tell us about your injuries in the comments section below!