Jackie Hyland: What to do when your child is hurting

At 5 feet 10 inches tall, I was blessed with height. But I am not an athletic kinda gal.

All my life, people have asked me if I ever played basketball or volleyball. Secretly, I wish I was more athletic! But somehow, I missed out on the athletic gene. I hate to run ... but I'll walk really fast. Volleyball hurts my hand. Basketball is fun, but after getting slammed in the face with a ball during a basketball game in high school, I decided it wasn't the sport for me!

The good news here: My daughters have that athletic gene! They most certainly got it from their dad!

My girls started playing volleyball a number of years ago. They love it and they are good at it! Now it seems it has taken over our lives.

Recently, both of my girls tried out for club volleyball. I had no idea what a big deal it is! Hundreds of eager, beautiful girls were trying out for just 10 spots per team.

The girls are really put through their paces during tryouts. Their athletic ability is tested, so too is their coachability and, of course, raw talent. Height helps and my girls have that!

My girls both made top club volleyball teams, and we were thrilled! Then, the unthinkable happened. Days after making the team, my oldest daughter broke her foot while on the volleyball court!

I knew volleyball was a tough sport and injuries were possible, but I was not prepared for this! It was an accident. She was blocking a ball and came down on another girl's foot and rolled her own foot. She is now in a boot and uses crutches. Suddenly, we are looking for ramps instead of stairs ... anything to make things easier for her as she navigates the world on crutches.

The doctor says that she'll be fully healed in eight weeks and might be able to play volleyball sooner. I wonder if should she? How soon is too soon to be back on the court playing volleyball again?

She wants to play. I am not pushing her. I know she is young and should heal quickly, but I have so many questions. If she gets back on the court in, say, six weeks, is it too soon? Will she suffer down the road?

This is the first time a child of mine has suffered a broken bone and I realize I am scared and I don't have all the answers! Just when you think you have this parenting thing down, you are thrown a volley again!!