Light Switches, Doors & Locks

What's the deal with light switches, doors, and locks?

I'm absolutely amazed that with a room full of toys the only intriguing thing to play with is the light switch. Light on, light off, light on, light off, light on... "STOP PLAYING WITH THE LIGHT SWITCH!!!" It stops briefly, then starts again light on, light off, light on, light off, light on... I see Alyssa looking at me with those curious eyes. She reaches to give it one more try -- light on, light off -- just to make absolutely certain that she's not supposed to be playing with the light switch.

Next time, it’s the bathroom door -- open, close, open, close -- I hear the squeaking. This doesn’t work in her bedroom because there is a foam door guard at the top of the door. “SLAM!” the door closes. “STOP PLAYING WITH THE DOOR!!!!” I hear a faint voice say, “Mommy, where are you?” I go to open the door and it’s locked. I hear giggles in the distance. “OPEN THE DOOR!!! 1…2…3…” Apparently, the counting is ineffective when Mommy is on the other side of the locked door. “I’m getting the key!” and magically the door opens. We have the first of several discussions about not locking doors.

You would think that would be enough, but it’s not. You have to think like a child and anticipate their every move. Mommy has been locked out of the bathroom, the changing room at swim class, public restrooms, and, yes, even our house. When your child is running quickly towards a door and giggling, you run as fast as you can screaming, “You’d better not lock that ((SLAM)) door!” Sometimes, I feel like the big, bad wolf standing outside the door yelling, “Little pig, little pig, let me in!” Little did she know that Mommy had already entered the house through the garage door, I sneaked up behind her and said, “What are you doing?” It was time for another discussion about not locking doors.

We’ve made progress. Alyssa told me yesterday that she’s not going to lock doors anymore because she wants to be a good girl and only bad girls lock doors. I understand that it’s just something new that she’s figured out how to do by herself. Meanwhile, she has learned a lot about cause and effect. Locking Mommy out gets you in BIG trouble!!!

If this hasn’t happened to you already, it will. If you don’t have another way to get inside a locked door (besides threats and bribery), then you’d better learn to run very, very fast. It’s like the real life version of Survivor – outwit, outplay, outlast. You’ve always got to be one step ahead of the game.