I’m sure many of you will be able to relate to this story.
My son, who will be six on Saturday, was a calm baby. He craved to be held, didn’t want to walk or crawl until he was darn good and ready, and was content to watch a movie—a whole movie—at a very young age. Then my daughter was born. She was a pistol from the start, crawling and walking earlier, talking up a storm…and into everything.
The other day, she (who is now two-and-a-half) managed to get herself on top of the counter—by sharp objects. Having never had this happen before, I was shocked. Then, two days later, I found her on TOP of her disassembled crib. We took it down a week ago and switched her over to her “big girl” bed, but it hasn’t made its way to the garage yet, so the frame and the mattress are together, standing upright against the wall. Within seconds, she’d shimmied up the mattress and was sitting like a princess on her throne.
D-O-N-T M-O-O-O-O-O-V-E, I shrieked a little too loudly, which of course sent her into mass hysteria. Luckily, I got her down before she and her mattress came tumbling down.
The moral of this story? Watch out for your children. Remember that even when a child appears to be calm, occupied, and safe, there is always a chance you’ll find them doing something unexpected. One time a few years ago, when I was watching my niece, who is also a little monkey by the way, I went into the kitchen to make lunch while they played in my son’s room. Within seconds he came running out telling me that his cousin was in the closet. I ran in to find that she had climbed and was sitting on TOP of the walk-in-closet shelves…and she was barely two-years-old at the time.
Whether your child is a climber or not, never underestimate the sheer guts of a toddler. They’ll surprise you faster than you can say Willy Wonka.