Foot falls and other mis-steps
Let me say first, that that table is nearly as old as I am. The chairs are more rickety so we bought half a dozen sturdier versions to supplement. American chairs that mingle quite happily with their South African cousins. They’re a mis-match like just about everything else around here. We have enjoyed living in this house for nearly 10 years now, so we know all of it’s pitfalls.
It was baby proofed for a while but our efforts were never foolproof with our particular set of children. There were no substitutes for constant supervision. Nonetheless our children have survived and indeed flourish, but it never pays to be too complacent.
Just as we come to believe that we have seen everything and know all things that are knowable, a plaintive voice will squeal, “mom! Can you get me outta here?”
May 1st, 2009 at 1:59 am
that happened with our fellow when he was about 6 – he got his arm well and truly stuck in the back of a chair and we had to saw through the chair to get him out!
young dave kept up the family tradition – when he was small he decided to investigate behind the shed – it was wider higher up so when he went to smell the ground he got his neck stuck. you could hear the screams for miles! luckily it was just a case of lifting him up to the wider bit to get him out…
May 1st, 2009 at 3:39 am
Oh, no!!!!
We had similar problems with standard baby cribs. Seems our kids would always get an arm through and then roll over. So we have to use playpens for little ones. They tell you not to do that, but for US, it’s safer.
May 1st, 2009 at 5:01 am
Butter lots and lots of butter. Soulds like we’ve been there…. not talking
Their current fave is to stand on the sofa at the armrest and get their feet caught. I still can’t get them to figure out all they have to do is put their other foot beside the first, lower the springs and “voila” they’re out.
S.
May 1st, 2009 at 5:09 am
sometimes it just doesn’t pay to have skinny ankles!
May 1st, 2009 at 5:15 am
I love the illustration!! My boy frequently gets stuck in the bannister…Funny about child proofing…If I tried to child proof anything-it would act as a magnet for the kids-the more we child proofed-the more they were drawn to that area. We finally gave up when my son bypassed a child lock and took apart an electrical outlet..that was the moment I aged 50 years in 30 seconds!
May 1st, 2009 at 6:36 am
OMG that is tooo funny – certianly a story for ever
May 1st, 2009 at 6:38 am
Has anyone mentioned that you might offer your drawn-art on etsy, too? Meaning, all you work is art….bowls, cakes, drawings.
Well-told story, M.
Salud!
May 1st, 2009 at 6:45 am
Oh, for goodness sake! THIS is how they choose to show their creativity?
May 1st, 2009 at 8:48 am
yikes! my kids have stuck arms like that… hopefully none of them were looking over my shoulder and got any ideas
May 1st, 2009 at 9:41 am
Been there. I love how you draw his shoulder blades. Patrick’s look exactly like that!
May 1st, 2009 at 10:11 am
Oh sheesh! We’ve had this happen with our chairs and kids before. We even have one cat in particular who will get its head stuck quite frequently. It never learns!
May 1st, 2009 at 11:15 am
Luckily I have never don that Maddy although I have contrived to injure myself in a range of improbable ways… My current imfirmity whic has kept me off work for over two months (and I’ll be off for a little while yet) involved just missing my footing and going down all of three setps!
May 1st, 2009 at 5:56 pm
LOL! DS has got stuck in the kitchen chairs in a similar manner. Fortunately, he seems to have learned his lesson after doing it three or four times.
May 1st, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Love your drawing … and I can imagine someone caught just like that..glad mom was around to help!
May 1st, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Love this!
May 2nd, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Oh, this made me laugh!!! (Love the drawing BTW!) Mine got her knee stuck in between the stair rail posts today. Why she put her knee there to begin with, who knows?
May 2nd, 2009 at 11:15 pm
You continually entertain me
That picture is priceless!
May 3rd, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Oh my gosh! sorry, but that is funny! We were babysitting my neice years ago, and she got her arm stuck through the rungs of the chair like that. Tried for an hour to get it out…had to call the fire dept. DUH. Thanks for the chuckle!
May 3rd, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Ha! One of the first words Nigel learned to say was “Stuck!” when he would get himself into predicaments such as that.