Suicide Attempt (or Why I Don't Answer the Phone During the Day) (or just another reminder that I'm living in the Madhouse)

My mother-by-marriage called me this morning.  I love talking to her.  She just always has such good things to talk about--things that make me think.

While we were talking, T was on his own.  I know...scary words.

During this past week and a half or so, T has seemed really grown up to me.  I figured out yesterday that the reason that occurred to me was that he no longer throws a fit when I say no to something.  He's learned to accept my word and not argue about it.  Such a nice little milestone to cross over.

As I continued to talk on the phone, I saw T climb on top of the big chair in our front room.  I was sitting right across from him on the couch.  What I didn't see was that he had taken the cord from the venetian blinds...you can already see this going in a bad direction, can't you?  He had wrapped it around his neck.  All I saw was that when he landed he had panic in his eyes and started crying.  UGH!!!  My heart started pumping FAST!

I jumped up, threw the phone and got it unwrapped as fast as I could.  He was fine, but he now has a red mark all around his neck.

I put ice on his neck as soon as I could.  It just made it redder.  After he calmed down, I told him to go look in the mirror and explained to him that that's how people die.  He went upstairs and came back wiping his neck saying he wanted it gone.  I'm afraid it's going to be there awhile.  So relieved it wasn't worse.  What a nightmare!

...and my mother-by-marriage wonders why she always gets my answering machine....

I don't think she'll wonder any more.