The majority of the kids' toys are in our family room. There, they can play under my watchful eye, while I cook, clean and do various chores. Bryce's playpen is there, primarily for naps, but he climbs in and out of it, ooooh, a few hundred times a day. He can't get in or out without assistance, so Chase always gives him the necessary push/pull.
Today, Bryce's screams indicated he wanted out, again however, he was unwilling to do his usual part of climbing most of the way. This left Chase struggling to lift his almost 25-pound frame. Chase shouted, "Mommy, I can't get him out!" I offered to help, only after I pulled breakfast from the oven. I found their response (total silence) odd, especially since Bryce usually doesn't stop screaming until he gets exactly what he wants. Well, it was odd and it was not consent, as we sometimes think silence is.
Just as I turned towards the family room Chase was saying "That's okay [mommy], I'll just use this rope," at the same time he was preparing to wrap a belt around his fully cooperative brother's neck and hoist him from the playpen! Oh no!
I thought of the many times a day, I say "Thank you Lord," for keeping an innocent game, an intended good deed, or just plain curiosity, from turning into total tragedy; The answer is hundreds if not thousands. This is just my story, a few weeks ago, I witnessed a neighbor come that close to backing over his son in their driveway, as they were heading out to work and preschool.
Statistics on toddler accidents show that most of them occur at home and result in more deaths than childhood diseases. My prayer is that God continue to keep our home safe and keep me on my toes! Here is a very moving post and testimony on this topic.
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