Kate learns a lesson

On Wednesday afternoon,

I was being a good little mama

and painting my girls' fingernails.

Neighbor Lucy was over,

and I was working on her nails

when Kate's hysterical scream

pierced my eardrum.

I turned to see what was happening

and she was standing there

with an open bottle of nail polish in one hand

and its lid and brush in the other.

Her eyes were squeezed shut

and she was screaming

like I've never heard her scream before.

After what seemed like 10 minutes

I finally understood:

she had painted her eyeball.

I imagine she was attempting to

"put on mascara"

or something

but whatever her attempt,

it failed

and she was in serious pain.

I tried to open her eye

but she screamed louder.

I tried to wipe her eyelid

but she screamed louder.

Finally, I did what I knew needed to be done.

I wrapped her in a towel,

laid her on her back on the counter

with her head over the sink

and turned on the water.

Oh, the screaming.

The memory makes me sick.

It was kind of hard to hold her still

and maneuver the hose on the faucet

so it sprayed right in her eye.

I had to open her eye with one hand

and spray with the other.

It was awful.

Awful, I tell you.

But then, when I was done,

she sat up

and I dried her off

and she stopped screaming.

She was still crying from the trauma

but calming down

and opening her eyes.

It was over.

I hugged her for a long time.

She kept begging for a band-aid.

Of course a band-aid makes everything feel better!

I tried to explain that it wouldn't help.

She didn't believe me.

Because I wanted to do anything

for her to stop hurting,

I opened a band-aid and stuck it on

from her eyebrow to her cheek.

I laughed out loud.

She loved it,

and she wore it for about 10 hours.

I'm not sure

why it was so comforting,

but it was.

Silly little girl.

Kate was pretty traumatized

but I think she learned

that putting nail polish in her eye

isn't a good idea.

Here is the story in her own words.

And a photo

in case you can't see the video.

And also because it's cute.

Sorry that I laughed, baby.

After all the tension

I had to let it out.

I mean,

who paints her eye with nail polish?

You have to admit

it's a little bit ridiculous.