It was unbelievable! Incredible! Shocking! On such an ordinary day (a Sunday), in such an ordinary place (my son’s bedroom), I couldn’t believe what was happening (a secret)! While sitting on the floor, studiously reading that large textbook I was to have absorbed the next day, I shared time and space with my son. It went like this: He was enjoying a large stuffed bear (that he originally feared) and generally enjoying his furry friend. I went back to my book. When I looked up again he was standing and balancing himself on top of a large box of diapers. I returned to my reading. When I looked up again… he was gone!
Where could he have possibly gone? I looked around but didn’t see him. Perhaps behind the large reclining chair? I stood up to look… but nothing. In the closet? There are toys in there. Again, nothing. Where was my son? Where could he be? I started to get concerned. My heart rate increased, my breathing quickened, my brow furrowed and sweat formed all along my reddened face. Where was my baby boy!?
Then I heard my wife laughing. She started talking. “What are you doing in here?” I rushed beyond the threshold of the baby’s room; I flew across the narrow hall; I exploded into the master bedroom. There he was. Sitting on the floor. Stuffing some bit of paper into his mouth that he had found along the way. Something amazing had happened: my son had discovered rooms. His world had just enlarged. Things were now connected. The kitchen and bedroom had previously been separated by situation, by time of day, or some bizarre circumstance. No longer! They were now merely spatial options available to the whims of his newly found motor skills! The house will never be the same! Baby-proofing, now, is a must!