We just went through an experience that every parent deals with at least once in their lives. It wasn't one of those zip-a-dee doo-da days, oh no. It was an experience that makes you realize why it's hard to be a parent.

Sunday night, we were putting our two-year-old daughter to bed. After going through her nighttime routine of changing her diaper, brushing her teeth, and climbing into bed, we were about to pray with her. She stood up on her bed laughing, wanting to run around. While running to the other end of her bed, she tripped and face-planted into the footboard, resulting in a deep, one inch cut on her right eyebrow. (Which is kind of ironic, because she just learned the word "eyebrow" earlier that night.) Immediately, we grabbed her, stopped the bleeding, and whisked her off to urgent care.

Arriving at the hospital, we were lucky to find the waiting room empty. Our daughter was seen by the nurses right away and then the doctor. Prognosis: stitches; six of them. They wrapped her up in a large white cloth so she couldn't move her arms. Then they laid a sterile cloth over her face with just a small hole in it through which the doctor would work. Then the doc started his work, and let me tell you, our daughter is a fighter. My wife held her legs, the nurse held her head, and I was in charge of laying on her chest. I got a first hand view of the procedure and my daughter's scared, hurt, sad, and confused, face (well, the part I could see through the cloth).

I lay there, as she fought against us with all her might, wondering if we had made the right decision. We could have just let the wound heal on its own and let it develop a nasty scar over her eye, but she would have hated us on prom night. She screamed out in pain and frustration. Then I thought, "No, we made the right decision. This is what needs to be done." While I knew it was the right decision, it didn't make the experience any easier. I don't enjoy watching my daughter go through that much pain. I don't enjoy seeing her be terrified out of innocence and ignorance. She had no idea why it was all happening.

For those ten minutes of complete agony, I felt very sorry for our daughter. However, it didn't change our decision. It reaffirmed to me that it is often difficult to do the right thing. Everyday we are presented with opportunities to choose between doing a good thing and doing the right thing. The "good thing" is almost always an easier path to take. However, if we're willing to put forth some extra effort, doing the "right thing" is almost always worth it in the end.