Babyproofing, or 'When did the world become so sharp, pointy, and dangerous?'

The way I see the world has definitely changed since I became a mommy. Whenever I enter a room I immediately scan for hidden dangers. What can my children climb on, fall from, pull down on top of themselves, bump their heads on, or otherwise suffer grievous injuries from. The world is a very dangerous place! Corners are sharp, walls and floors are hard, chairs and tables are precariously unstable. Electricity is everywhere, luring my children with tentacular cords.

As I write this I'm sitting in a doctor's office.





This lamp could kill my baby. Probably it won't, but we don't have table lamps at our house. We don't have tables either, for that matter.

I don't want anyone to get the idea that I'm some neurotic, overprotective crazy woman. Honestly I'm not. But keeping kids safe requires constant vigilance!

With my first child, I bought all that soft foamy stuff to put on all the edges and corners if the world. I put outlet covers on all of the outlets, doorknob covers on all the doors, locks on all the cabinets, and strategically placed baby gates to keep him confined to a particular area. What I found,though, is that my son merely saw all my babyproofing as a challenge, and he promptly destroyed it all. The outlet covers became a game for him. He pulled and chewed the foamy stuff off all of the edges and corners.
I'm finding that with my second son I'm far more relaxed about babyproofing. Our house is fairly safe, and my second son is wily like a fox. He's learning to navigate in a sharp, pointy world, and he's getting pretty good at it. He's a lot more agile and sure-footed than my first child.

Maybe babyproofing turns kids into sissies. I don't know. What I do know is that I have approximately one more year until I can relax (a little).
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