I failed my daughter today...

Today I took Miss 3 and Mr 1 to a park. There's a big, fairly busy local park within walking distance and we needed to get out of house and let my wife get on with her home-business.We were there for a while, little guy was toddling around inspecting the world with me as a close shadow, while little Miss was playing on the equipment, sandpit, slide etc. My daughter is one of those aggressively social pre-schoolers who always wants to be playing with another kid, to the point where she inserts herself in whatever group is nearby and just tags along. It often ends in them being mean to her as she is crazy verbal for her age and gravitates to kids older than her, who often dont want to play. We are constantly trying to help her understand her social circle and her personal 'bubble'.Anyway, after a bit of time she inserted herself into a group of kids (2 families I think) who were tolerating her, with one of the younger kids (maybe 4?) playing quite nicely. I was digging in the sand with Mr 1, keeping an eye on her to make sure she was still close by. This park has one of those spinning bowls, where a couple of kids climb in and they spin around, on a slight tilt - this one seats 4/5. They are all piled in, with the oldest kid (7-8) spinning them. Miss 3 is smiling and laughing with the rest, so she is ok. They are playing for a while, she seems fine every time I look up... Suddenly she starts crying - like 0 to 100 wailing. I rush over thinking she is hurt, maybe hit her face on the edge of the bowl or something. I pick her up and she says they were going too fast and now she has a headache.You see where this is going, right? Next minute, up comes lunch (from 2+ hrs ago) . Sandwich, strawberry Yoghurt, the cabanossi snack from a little later... Misses her, but covers me. Overall, she is a bit upset, but once we clean her up and she has a drink she is ok, and goes back to playing. Different kids this time though.So what? you ask. Kids play and get sick all the time. I've done it, I'm sure you have too. But that's not the part where I failed...I'm a pretty hands on dad. I take then out regularly, we play, have chats etc. A standing tenant of our relationship is that she knows I'm there for her. All you have to do, I say, is call out for Dad and I be there for you. So when we are walking home and she's telling me that she was calling out for me to help and I didn't hear her and she was scared because the other kids where going too fast it kicked me in the feels a little. Realisation hits me that this is when she begins to understand that Dads promise of always being there when she needs him is a lie... Especially when she said the others were being mean and wouldn't listen when she asked them to slow down either... Then, even worse, she apologises and says that next time she will have to call a little louder next time.She's been in bed hours now I've been alternating between berating myself, sobbing in the corner and cursing her as I pick up all of the toys she scattered around during the day. Kids, right?TL/DR: Daughter called out for my help at the park and I didn't hear her, and because I didnt help her she threw up everywhere. And I broke the 'Dad will always be there to help when you call' promise. via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2wSDMrM