Emmett has always been wild and a bit of a bully. He has a hard time with impulse control. When he gets angry or frustrated, you don't want to be within his reach.
Ethan is 3.5 years older than Emmett. So when Emmett was 18 months old, Ethan was about double his size at 5. This didn't stop Emmett from bullying Ethan. Yes, that is right the 18 month old bullied the 5 year old.
It wasn't uncommon for Ethan to come running and crying to me that Emmett had hurt him. Emmett, of course, loved this power. He could make Ethan run away and cry, what a fun game! I often told Ethan that he was bigger than his brother - just turn around and face him. Take away whatever he is chasing you with, but Ethan wouldn't. He told me Emmett was too scary.
I intervened a lot and we had been working on teaching Emmett how to be kind and gentle, but there is nothing in the world like sibling rivalry between brothers.
One particular night, the kids were playing inside. Kevin was working late, and I was cooking dinner. Emmett had found a weapon (jump rope) and was using it a a whip to chase Ethan around. I had told them to knock it off, when suddenly I heard the loudest squeal - I thought they had stepped on the cat. Ethan comes running into the kitchen with blood pouring down his face. I calm him down enough to see the gouge above and next to his eye in his eyebrow. He tells me that Emmett was chasing him, and he ran into the corner of the hallway wall (they weren't exceptionally sharp corners, but the house was built in the 1950's, so there was no modern rounding of the wall edges). I realize he is going to need stitches, so I get him a towel to mop up the blood, and load the boys into the car.
I call Kevin on the way to the hospital, and he agrees to meet me there. We arrive and the ER takes us in right away. They determine Ethan is going to need seven stitches, but first they need to question us about what happened to him.
It is policy to question the injured kid and parent separately - to make sure the kid isn't being abused. I understand this, but they still treat you like you are a criminal. They ask me to leave the room, and they question Ethan about what happened.
Then, they bring me back into the room, and they start asking me, "who is Emmett?" I am confused by this, so I laugh and respond, "his brother." They want to know where Emmett is - in the waiting room with his dad - "can you bring him in," they ask. I am a little weirded out by this, but I comply.
Kevin and Emmett come in, and the doctors now looked confused. Apparently, when they asked what happened, Ethan told them, "Emmett did this to me. He always hurts me." When the doctors told me this, I laughed. I couldn't help it. I explained that Emmett was chasing Ethan, and Ethan ran into the wall.
Once that was cleared up, they had to convince Ethan to let them put a needle in his face. He wasn't going for it. They put Ethan's arms in a pillowcase behind his back, and then put him on his back. I had to hold his head still as he screamed and they sewed his eye up.
Ethan was fine within a week - he still has a scar from that mishap - and he is still convinced that Emmett is an abuser.
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