Living on the Edge

So yesterday was a day of living dangerously for my 2 yr old.

The first story is about the potty. She spends a lot of time in there. I can sit here at the computer and have a direct view into the bathroom, so I don't have to be in there the whole time, but I can go help when needed. So she runs in here, crying and saying something unintelligible. I finally figure out she is saying something about there being a red light on the wall.

Apparently while she was going potty she was fiddling with the knob on the bathroom wall heater. We never use our wall heaters because we have central heat/air, but we have not removed all the heaters. So I taught both of them early on, Don't touch, Danger, the whole bit. Told them what they were and why we don't touch them.

So anyway, she is sitting on the potty about 6 inches from the heater, and turns that baby on full blast. By the time I got in the bathroom, it was glowing red-hot. No wonder she was scared. Not to mention the wonderful smell of burning dust. I called both children in there, and asked who did it. No one, of course. Eventually the 2 yr old told the truth.

So thank God she didn't put her hand on it. I know lots of people have heaters like this in their homes and children learn to leave them alone. I also know it is a risk having them in every room, not being used. I also like the idea of having them as a back up in case something happens to our heat/air unit in the middle of winter (ok, I know it doesn't really get that cold here in Kentucky...)

So I felt good. No one got hurt. I handled it pretty well. I didn't lose my temper. And then, of course, I get back on the computer. Sometime later, I get up to check on the girls, make lunch, something (that part totally slips my mind). I walk around the corner of the hallway, and there sits my 2 yr old sitting in my bedroom doorway, happily playing with my pincushion. Thank God all my pins are the kind with little round white heads. The 5 yr old was sitting nearby watching. This alarms me more than the bathroom wall heater. She had a lap full of pins and was happily pulling them out. Thank God she wasn't eating them.

This time I stayed calm for a little while, while I was putting the pins back. I kind of had a hard time getting her to sit still, so I could find all the pins. Some were in her clothes and some were on the floor. I let the girls feel how sharp they were. Of course my two yr old, who was probably sitting there for 10-15 minutes completely still before I got there would not sit still for me so I could put the pins away.

I guess I should say that my girls usually are very good and don't get into things. They don't usually write on walls, rip books, climb cabinets, or anything like that. They don't get my lipstick and paint themselves red. They don't find the scissors and cut each other's hair.

Usually. So 2 in one day threw me off a little. But now my radar is up. I should have seen the warning signs. A few months ago I found a carefully drawn zig zag line drawn in ink on the wall behind my husband's chair, about the height of my five year. There was one more wiggly line above that, about the height my 2 yr old would be if she were standing on the chair and leaning over the back to write on the wall. (it is still there if you want to come and see it). I also found a couple of days ago, a carefully colored red crayon picture(or should I say scribble) on the side of the TV set, also by the 2 yr old.

Oh, well, kids are going to be kids. After my heart started beating again, after the pincushion incident, I think we did something really calm, all together.