A few weeks ago I started to do our taxes online. This annual ritual never ceases to draw me in like a good crossword puzzle on an airplane. Sure enough, I started putting in the numbers and I just couldn't stop. It's a compulsion; I can't stop until I see the bottom line flashing at me in the upper right corner of my screen. Naturally, Baby Z was getting a little restless. When he found his way into the pantry in the kitchen (usually a no-no), I decided to let him. I pulled out any breakable or dangerous items and let him go at it. He was in heaven! This unorthodox tactic gave me another 30 minutes on the taxes. I was in heaven! The 5 minutes of cleanup was well worth it.
I was very proud of my out-of-the-box Mommy thinking until the next day. Suddenly, Baby Z knew what exquisitely interesting items exist in that cabinet. And he had a precedent for playing with them. I had to renew my efforts at teaching him to stay away from the cabinet. Let's just say there was far more than 5 minutes of cleanup time after all. I finally gave in and "baby-proofed" the situation:
I'll think twice about what lengths I go to next time I want to finish a project.
1 comment:
Hi, I stumbled over your blog while trying to solve a nap problem for my 5 month old. I too am/was a Baby Wise Mom especially with my first one (3 1/2 years old). While BW helped me a lot, I feel burnt out due to all the crying. Maybe I was too much of a stickler to the "program". With my second I am MUCH more selective and we don't really have anything set in stone. But BW works nonetheless and it helped us a lot.
Anyway, your blog is hilarious and it's great to see that there are fellow believers out there with a great sense of humor.
Adina
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