Getting on my Nerves

I don't remember being in pain much as a child.  Surely, I remember falling out of the apple tree and trying to convince my parents that my arm was broken because it hurt so badly.  But I don't remember much else that was painful.  I ran all over the place outside and in.  I ran into things, I dove into leaf piles filled with sticks, I was constantly working through scabs on my arms and legs from who knows what physical insults I was putting my body through.  But I don't remember pain.

Is there something about the nerves in a child that makes them immature or not fully functional?  Do children get over painful incidents more easily?  Do children feel less pain than adults do?  Take as an example adults in their forties—that would be my age range—and think of how many you know that deal with some sort of chronic pain.  Knees, spines, digestion problems and migraines are common ailments adults have that put them in regular, significant pain.

Think of your parent's generation.  At their age, most of them are in pain in more than one way.  Surely, our bodies begin to fail as we get older, but that doesn't seem to add up to the sheer amount of pain adults are in in comparison to children.

Do children have less nerves?  Are their brains not equipped to cope with the pain impulses as completely or thoroughly as those of an adult?  Or, is it that children are young and inexperienced and haven't experienced enough pain to fear it like adults, who have been beat down and up by painful incidents for so long?

I don't know the answer, but I am very glad to see my children get up and keep moving when they fall down, hit their head, close their hand in a drawer, scrape their knee, etc.  I still have the adrenaline jolt and quick intake of breath when I see it happening; that's my reaction as an adult who has been through and felt too much pain.

The Big Boy Update:  Second birthday party.  He had his birthday party today and I think it was great fun.  I'm not sure he knew it was his birthday.  The older children and adults did though.  It was at an indoor playground with pizza, cake, swings and slides.  He liked the cake though.  He asked for more for dinner tonight.  Thanks to daddy for making his spiffy, custom train cake.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  Coffee table climber.  Today she mastered the coffee table.  Climb up, sit down and look pleased with herself, climb off, repeat... for an hour.

Fitness Update: Finally five.  My neighbor is back from vacation and we did a test run today.  I was surprised I wasn't in much pain from the large surgical holes in my behind.  The surgeon said I could run as long as I was comfortable.  I didn't take any pain medication so that I would know how painful it really was.  I didn't want pain medication to dull my senses when I needed those pain messages to tell me if I needed to stop.

Someone Once Said:  If possible, leave room for your enemy to become your friend.