# Baby/Toddler gets hurt. What/why is the pause before the scream? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 24, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993 "2016-02-24T17:45:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/21 "2016-02-25T09:38:26Z")
There is a first hand account by an Australian man who experienced (i. e. on the receiving end, as it were) a judicial caning in Malaysia. When the first stroke hit him, he thought for a very brief moment that this wasn’t so painful after all. But this perception changed extremely fast: > [@](#): > > Anyway, there I was. Strapped to the wooden A-frame, my backside surrounded by thoughtfully padded bars that caused it to project in the general direction of the man with the cane, presumably so that he would know which particular piece of me to wallop, just in case anatomy was not his strong subject. It suddenly occurred to me that this could be a very nasty position in which to have found myself at the Cross, and I started to giggle. That must have thrown them. Caning was not intended to be a procedure that amused the victim in any shape or form. I didn’t giggle for long. The details of my punishment were read aloud and the order was given to proceed. > > Satu! That means one, and it certainly was! **The swish of the cane, and then a heavy thump, not pain. Hey, how about that? It doesn’t even hurt. It…** > > Dua! Oh shit! Now it hurts. Now the pain is cutting in. An excruciating pain. Nothing hurts this much. Nothing… > > Tigal! Ah, hey, no! Not funny. Now I know why I am tied to a wooden frame. No man can live with punishment like this. Let me off this thing and I will tear this guy’s arms off and ram them up his… > > Empat! My God! The pain is worse, and spreading. Like an incredible burn. Like being branded with a red hot iron bar. Do they heat these canes? > > Lima! One to go! Thank god I can count in Malay, otherwise I would lose track of how many I have received, and I would never know how many more I have to go, and I might go nuts at this point. (bolding mine) > **[Malaysian judicial caning - first-person account](https://www.corpun.com/myjur1.htm)** > > Description of being caned in a Malaysian prison ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/22 "2016-02-25T13:48:37Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > They’re the food of the gods. I eat one almost every day. Also my wife’s a lawyer who speaks Spanish and I … 😃 > > Sure you can use a spoon if you’re just scraping the flesh out of the skin. But my goal is to remove the pit leaving the half avocado 100% intact in the skin with a neat dent where the pit was. > > I’ll give it a go with a spoon. Might learn something. Might make a mess. Either way it’ll taste good. Thanks. Other than that recent event it’d been years since the last time I’d scared (or cut) myself pitting with a large knife. I have only started eating avocados recently (diet suggestion) and just run a sharp knife around the fruit lengthwise - no risk if ripe - and then twist the fruit halves in opposite directions. That seems to loosen the stone such that it can be easily dislodged with a teaspoon without damaging any of the fruit. I keep them a few days in a fruit bowl (not refrigerated - I suspect they would not react well to that) so as they are always ripe. A knife sounds like asking for trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/23 "2016-02-25T14:07:21Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > For the less serious injuries it has often appeared to me that they are trying to decide if anyone saw them get hurt or is paying close attention to them. > > No audience? The might get a little pouty but they brush themselves off and move on. This. I have seen my kids fall, and look around for an audience. Audience? Cry. No audience? Suck it up and move on. Of course this only applies to minor injuries. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/24 "2016-02-25T15:03:48Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > They’re the food of the gods. I eat one almost every day. Also my wife’s a lawyer who speaks Spanish and I … 😃 > > Sure you can use a spoon if you’re just scraping the flesh out of the skin. But my goal is to remove the pit leaving the half avocado 100% intact in the skin with a neat dent where the pit was. > > I’ll give it a go with a spoon. Might learn something. Might make a mess. Either way it’ll taste good. Thanks. Other than that recent event it’d been years since the last time I’d scared (or cut) myself pitting with a large knife. Separate the halves and try a one-hand corkscrew wine bottle opener. Never done it, but read it somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/25 "2016-02-25T15:13:07Z")
My wife uses a heavy knife but, rather than stabbing the pit, hits it as though the knife were an axe. Then she pulls the lodged knife back and the pit comes out with it. I’m not going to recommend holding it in your hand while doing this though in case your aim is way off. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/26 "2016-02-25T15:46:51Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I got very good at ignoring my kids when they fell so they had time to figure out if they were really hurt and not just reacting to my reaction. Most of the time they would just keep going. Yeah which is why I’m not crazy about parents that rush over every time the child takes a spill. The kid is going to have to learn to pick himself up, and if it was just a small fall, he’ll be fine. But you’ve rushed over there and made a big fuss and now he thinks it’s a big deal and is crying way longer than it actually hurts and he’s going to do the same thing when he goes to college and expect you to rush in there to help him whenever he falls, which you will of course. My brother-in-law had a great way of handling these little falls. He taught his son to “shake it off”. “Shake it off, dude, shake it off.” So you’d get this little two year old toddler standing up from a small fall and jiggling his whole body, along with Daddy. It was adorable and it seemed to cause a lot less unnecessary crying. But what the heck do I know, I’m not a parent. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/27 "2016-02-25T19:55:08Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > My brother-in-law had a great way of handling these little falls. He taught his son to “shake it off”. “Shake it off, dude, shake it off.” So you’d get this little two year old toddler standing up from a small fall and jiggling his whole body, along with Daddy. It was adorable and it seemed to cause a lot less unnecessary crying. > > But what the heck do I know, I’m not a parent. I might steal this. My younger daughter is pretty suggestible, this might work. ---
**Author:** ![desertmonk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@desertmonk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/desertmonk)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/28 "2016-02-25T20:57:11Z")
I figured it out! It’s evolutionary. I always thought it was because children are assholes but it makes more sense that, when hurt, they look around to see if mama is around before freaking out. No parent around? Then it is too dangerous to scream, there may be a dingo around. Parent around? It’s safe to cry out. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/29 "2016-02-25T20:59:22Z")
I figured ours was filling her lungs for a really good scream. Babies breathe through their nose, so it might not be obvious. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/30 "2016-02-26T00:37:14Z")
Continuing minor hijack… > [@notquitekarpov](#): > > I have only started eating avocados recently (diet suggestion) and just run a sharp knife around the fruit lengthwise - no risk if ripe - and then twist the fruit halves in opposite directions. That seems to loosen the stone such that it can be easily dislodged with a teaspoon without damaging any of the fruit. I keep them a few days in a fruit bowl (not refrigerated - I suspect they would not react well to that) so as they are always ripe. > > A knife sounds like asking for trouble. You’ve described the standard way to cut them in half. As you say, safe & effective. I may eat them a bit less ripe than most folks, but the pit is usually firmly attached to one half or the other. I’ll try the spoon technique, but it seems unlikely from here. FYI, If you have a couple too many ripening at once they can go in the fridge for a couple days max. Once in the fridge they pretty much stop ripening right then. You’re definitely right to ripen them on the counter. Turn them every day or two to avoid flat nasty spots on the bottom. Also better to have them flat versus in a pile; the ones on the bottom of a pile tend to get more bruises. > [@Jophiel](#): > > My wife uses a heavy knife but, rather than stabbing the pit, hits it as though the knife were an axe. Then she pulls the lodged knife back and the pit comes out with it. > > I’m not going to recommend holding it in your hand while doing this though in case your aim is way off. That’s the standard technique for getting the pit out of the half; use the heel of the blade like a cleaver, hitting just hard enough to embed the knife a bit into the pit. The knifepoint’s not involved at all. Then rotate the blade& pit slightly to break the suction & the pit lifts right out still embedded in the knife. The historical standard was to hold the avocado half in your non-dominant palm & strike the knife into it there. That’s what I gave up doing & now sit the half on the cutting board. Which is what I was doing when I bounced the knife off the pit & didn’t hurt myself. > [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Separate the halves and try a one-hand corkscrew wine bottle opener. > > Never done it, but read it somewhere. Sounds unlikely, but worth a try. I doubt you can push down hard enough to start the screw into the pit without smooshing (technical cooking term) the avocado flesh. Thanks all for the thoughts. I’ll hijack again tomorrow with results.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/31 "2016-02-26T00:37:59Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Maybe their baby brains are registering the pain. When I smash my thumb or something, there’s often a second or two before the feeling of pain hits me. > > I remember I was carrying an extremely heavy box off a moving truck once, and I stepped off the side of the ramp and landed on the hard metal edge of the ramp with the box on top of me. I distinctly remember thinking “Whoa, what happened there? Oh shit, I fell of the ramp. Everything seems to be okay…nothing seems hurt…oh wait, nope, there’s the fucking pain.” As I understand it much of that is because [C-fibers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_C_nerve_fiber), the nerves that instigate the sensation of pain are slow. > [@](#): > > C fibers are unmyelinated unlike most other fibers in the nervous system.[1] This lack of myelination is the cause of their slow conduction velocity, which is on the order of no more than 2 m/s. In other words, if you drop something on your toe it’ll take about a second for the nerve impulse saying “pain!” to reach your brain. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/32 "2016-02-26T01:34:40Z")
The delay is real, and doesn’t necessarily have to do with seeking attention. I’m basing this entirely on a sample of one (my 26-month-old daughter), so take it for what it’s worth. I’ve seen the delay when there’s real pain and shock involved. For instance, getting vaccinated. She’ll be sitting in my lap, and I’m holding her, and then the doctor will stick the needle in. There’s a pause, and then she _screams_. On the other hand, if she takes a tumble, and I or her mother say “that doesn’t hurt, baby, you’re OK,” she won’t cry if she isn’t really hurt. But if she is hurt, there’s the pause, and then the scream. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/33 "2016-02-26T01:35:47Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > This. I have seen my kids fall, and look around for an audience. Audience? Cry. No audience? Suck it up and move on. > Of course this only applies to minor injuries. The rare occasion where we had something more serious then this, I could tell the difference in the scream, as though it rang of fear. > [@Atamasama](#): > > [snip] … A year ago I fell while rollerblading in the garage (don’t ask) … [snip] Why were you rollerblading in the garage? ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/34 "2016-02-26T06:13:42Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > On the other hand, if she takes a tumble, and I or her mother say “that doesn’t hurt, baby, you’re OK,” she won’t cry if she isn’t really hurt. But if she is hurt, there’s the pause, and then the scream. Yeah, that’s what I noticed. Something which worked for me with my son was that when he was crying after a spill, he really just wanted someone to acknowledge that it hurt rather than trying too hard to comfort him. I would have him show me where he fell down, and what part of him hurt and that ended a lot of crying fairly quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/35 "2016-02-26T17:24:02Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Why were you rollerblading in the garage? I said not to ask… 😛 Okay fine, I was new to it, I’m experienced on classic skates but was trying to get used to the inline kind. I figured in the garage it was a flat, even surface and safer than outside. But concrete is concrete. I’ve put that potential hobby on indefinite hold. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/36 "2016-02-26T22:25:45Z")
If you’re over 12 it works a lot better with knee guards & a helmet. You’ll feel terminally dorky until you notice all the other 20- to 60-yos doing the same. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2016, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/37 "2016-02-27T22:15:27Z")
I’m still waiting for the hijack report… ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2016, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/38 "2016-02-27T22:39:28Z")
It’ll be one or two days more. My current batch of avocados had to be bought green. So they’re ripening as fast as they can but they’re not there yet. Then I’ll have to eat the whole pile in three days before they go bad. Kinda like bananas, the ideal is to buy some fresh every day and have a ripening pipeline. Buying a pile once a week is a set-up to eat two underripe stiff ones, two perfect ones, two marginally brown & gooshy ones, and throw the last nasty rotten one away. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2016, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/39 "2016-02-28T17:57:51Z")
Is there an ethylene-rush thing that works with avocados? I had a quick thought of using one for dinner while cruising the aisles but they were all to hard. I’ve never done the ethylene thing with any fruit. Damn, anticipation for persimmons over three weeks kills me. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993/40 "2016-02-29T18:31:17Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > If you’re over 12 it works a lot better with knee guards & a helmet. > > You’ll feel terminally dorky until you notice all the other 20- to 60-yos doing the same. Had on a helmet, knee and elbow pads, and wrist guards. I didn’t care about looking like a dork, I was in my garage. When I fell I reflexively broke my fall with my outstretched left arm. I cracked the radial head in that elbow. It was my weight all falling on that joint so fast that hurt. If I’d not tried to break my fall I would probably have had no more than bruises. Almost 100% healed now though, luckily. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-toddler-gets-hurt-what-why-is-the-pause-before-the-scream/746993.md?page=3)