So Henry has been, as his preschool teacher last year told me on a couple of occasions, "feeling his oats" lately. I'm not sure how much more of it I can take.
Am I not speaking English? Have I not repeated myself eighty nine billion times?
Aren't there some things that are rules no matter where in the world you live? Aren't there some things that should scare the pee out of you just thinking about them, so you won't do them?
Am I not believable when I say that something is dirty, dangerous or hurtful?
There really are things to do that are OK. Why do you want to do all of the things that are not?
Is there nothing that will make you take me seriously?!
Today I was changing laundry loads and heard him calling from down the hall, "Anybody there? Anybody?" I thought the call was coming from the bathroom where he needed help finishing up, but no - it was from his bedroom, where he was sitting.
On the wide window ledge. Which is about four feet off the floor. (I think he scaled the radiator to get all the way up there.)
He had the window swung wide open. Five stories above the street.
Yeah. Cheerfully yelling at passersby below.
Luckily without tragedy (I grabbed him by the waist and snatched him off there so fast...), I learned that the windows have neither safety locks nor screens.
I also learned what barfing one's heart might feel like.
And experienced the intense inner conflict that comes with wanting to kill your child for doing something that could have killed him.
I am at a total loss.
10.02.2008
Deffitly Not OK
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10 comments:
oh, wow. can totally echo amen on this one. been there and have no solutions as to how to resolve the inner conflict.
your oversea adventures are keeping me totally captive, by the way. And they've only just begun...
that's a song, isn't it?
That happened to me in Venezuela when Julio was like 18 months and he somehow climbed up to the window (no screen or lock) and was balancing with his head out the window. (5th floor too).
My hands are sweating just thinking about it now. How he didn't fall forward with the weight of his big noggin, I'll never know.
So scary. Glad he's ok. Here in Brazil, they put nets over all the windows if you have kids. Not astetically pleasing, but I sure worry a lot less.
OH my goodness. That's a good reason to barf up your heart. I probably would have keeled over right there. I am so glad he's okay. Unfortunately I don't have any solutions for the inner conflict. . . if you come up with something let me know, because I battle it at times too.
Wow. And I thought I wanted to sell MY kids...
I would personally chalk it up to a brand new place, new environment, missing friends and relatives and the NORMAL of life. And, as hard as it may be to want to get out of the house (Some days I never want to leave MY house, I can't imagine what would possess someone to willingly take their children out of their own yards, but...) it might not hurt to take him exploring some detskii-sod somewhere. And those Lenin Squares...
I hope you NEVER have to experience the whole heart barfing thing - Just remember... it may SEEM like it would be easier to just kill them all now and do the work for the dead, but it's really not. I'll pray hard for you.
I am so sorry. I bet there is no home depot down the road to go get a saftey lock for your windows.
I am sorry he is testing fate. Atleast he is cute...right?
There are some kids (usually boys, but NOT always) that seem to be born without that scare reflex! Unfortunately, Mom's scare refles then DOUBLES!!
I'm so sorry you are going thru this. Hopefully you will find the right thing to scare Henry into listening, before he does something really painful.
Oh my gosh, this is going to give me nightmares. Horrible horrible horrible.
On the upside, you probably won't have to teach much to him about being friendly and conversational. Looks like he has that mastered. Even five stories up.
Seriously though, I'm not sure I would ever get the "possibilities" out of my head.
Sorry I have no advice.
Let's just say he's going through a phase-you know the move half way across the planet is bound to bring on a phase!
For your sanity and his safety I hope it passes soon, but for what it's worth I think it's a boy thing. My boys don't think I really know stuff half the time and want to test it out to see if I'm right. Maddening!
He is the male equivalent of my Elizabeth. I'll pray for you, you pray for me.
Thank goodness we at least live in a one-story. I'm barfing my heart just thinking of it.
PS: If you can't figure out any other way to secure the window, I'd nail it closed. I'd probably nail ALL the windows closed because that scenario of a child falling is one of my worst fears.
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