An All Time Low Moment

So, do you ever have those days where you kind of sit back and think….”did I really just do that?” or maybe it’s “I thought I would never do that and I just did?” . OK, so this is one of those day’s for me.

 I try to do the best with my kids when it comes to discipline and being consistent and staying on top of things. I try to focus on there behavior, but more importantly there hearts, and the motives and feelings they have internally. Yes, it’s been working well for me and the kids…….that is, until Owen came along. I love my son with all my heart! He is sweet and kind. He loves animals and babies. He is so gentle with my parents cat’s and his little nephew Josiah. He’s a great helper too, putting his own dishes away, and throwing his dirty diaper’s in the trash……. But there’s another side to this child that I am at a loss for what to do with him!

 Since he began walking, he has never stopped. Every cupboard, nob, drawer, door, counter and refrigerator is fare game in his little mind. It’s almost like a natural thing for him. Like breathing…..if I say no to one thing, he’s on to the next, and so on and so on, all day, every day, for eternity I’m thinking. We recently conceded to putting a lock on the refrigerator, after finding him countless times with the half and half dripping down his cheeks, or the egg carton emptied on the floor, or him helping himself to the “child proof” bottle of vitamins. That was hard enough for me to do, me being someone who used to laugh at the parent with the leash on there child, or the safety latches on there cupboards ( which I also have now, thank you Owen).

 But today, I think I went beyond any safety proofing I ever thought possible for myself. Recently Owen discovered how to climb out of his crib. At first it was just when he woke up in the morning that he would do it, and it was sort of convenient. But then he began waking up his brother , who he shares a room with. Then he started trashing his room, or wandering out into the house. I would find DVDs , makeup, toilette paper, or  refrigerator items strewn across my house. Now he is climbing out at nap time and bedtime before he even falls asleep. I have to put him back in bed over and over. I wait outside the room and listen for the crib to start squeaking, and know he’s at it again.

 And last night, I was awakened by what sounded like diaper’s rustling. I stumbled into his room around 3am and found him out of bed, trying to change his own diaper. Now, Jeremiah and I are going out of town this Sat, and his mom is coming over to take care of the kids for us, and I was thinking, how will she do bed time, with out going insane! The answer…..sadly……I’m have resorted to tenting him in his crib. That’s right, they actually make these things and sell them, crib tents. They’re a see through tent like enclosure that totally covers the entire top of the crib, with an easy access zipper to have contact with them. Apparently, my son is not the only child with this problem, and as embarrassing as it is, I am counting the days until it comes in the mail and I can finally have a peaceful night knowing that he is securely in his bed, and not wandering around the house destroying who knows what.

 Whew, it feels good to confess this. I hope none of you feel any less of me after this sad last resort that I’ve had to come to. I’ll leave you with a little video of a sweeter side of Owen, and hope that you will pray hard and long for this little stinker, and for me too, that I won’t go crazy while I’m waiting for him to just chill out!

 

~ by theairupthere on April 22, 2008.