Laughing All the Way!

 Can you imagine what it must be like to go through life wondering what lies behind every unopened door?  (Okay, maybe that's how you roll, I don't know.)  I figure that must be what it's like to live a day in the life of a toddler.  I can just hear their little inside voices prompting their curious nature:

"What's that?  A door?  I think I'll open it."  or
"Is that a drawer?  I think I'll pull it out." or
"Is this a lid?  Maybe I'll just open it and take a look inside." or
"Look at this giant staircase.  I wonder where it leads?  Why not check it out?"

I mean, really...I am pretty certain that this type of toddler dialogue goes through Liam's head ALL. DAY.LONG.  And did Chandler's when he was smaller, too.  And not only that, but when they open it, or pull it out, or take it off, or climb those stairs, then you have to worry about what comes next.  This inquisitiveness on my boys' behalf is exactly how we've found ourselves in the following predicaments:

1. The door led to: the dryer, which Chandler proceeded to climb into and play for awhile.  And the pots and pans, which became drumming entertainment for hours.  And the pantry, where one can find many delectable snacks to open and consume prior to one's dinner.  And the DVD cabinet...because who needs their DVD's to be nicely stacked and alphabetized anyway???

2. The drawer contained: Mommy's "feminine items", which Liam happily pulled out and scattered throughout the house.  And the toothpaste, which can be oh so much fun to squeeze onto the counter. And the clothes, that can be unfolded and emptied from a 6-drawer dresser in the time it takes Mommy to walk down the hall.  And the knives...because that's safe, right???

3. The lid covered: the dog food, which was then dumped all over the kitchen floor.  (And friends, 30 pounds of dog food covers a lot of kitchen floor).  And Mommy's powder, which proved to be quite difficult to clean up and get out of the cracks, crevices, and grout of the bathroom.  And the cake frosting, which just so happens to be a nice snack (if you don't mind staying up till the wee hours of the morning).  And the toilet, where you can dangle items like iphones and remotes over the water below and wonder "will Mommy's head explode if I let go?"  And the pitcher to the gallon of Crystal Light...because Mommy loves to mop the kitchen floor twice in one day, right???

4. And the staircase led to: well it leads upstairs, of course; just where you don't want the toddler to be by himself.  (BTW: It was much easier to toddler-proof a single story home.  Also, it was much easier to toddler-proof when we didn't have a 4 year old who undoes all the toddler-proofing.)

Ah, yes...that is what it's like to be a toddler.  Running a muck all day long just finding things to get into.  And as frustrating as it can be sometimes when things are broken, or spilled, or consumed, or wasted, or messy, my reaction normally is just to laugh.  Seriously.  Because one day I will not have these two crazy boys to run around and make a mess of this house.  And even at those times that I don't find too funny right away, I still look back and laugh afterward.

I think it's pretty clear from the scenarios I listed above that I am far from perfect parenting.  In fact, I would say that I know very little about how to be a perfect parent.  But, I am learning as I go.  And one thing that I have learned is that laughter makes for a happy home.  Besides, how could you look at these two sweet faces and not smile??

"Parenting without a sense of humor is like being an accountant who sucks at math."
~Anonymous~

Till next week friends!
Brittany :)

P.S.- Yes, I'm a day late again.  I've decided not to let it bother me...much.

P.P.S.- Yes, I do watch my children regardless of the evidence represented in the above scenarios. In my defense, they are FAST!