Monday, May 5, 2008

Child Abuse, or the Prevention of...

As a Mom I often wonder about certain things I do or don't do. I wonder if I should do other things and what I would do... As thinking often leads you to more thinking, I was thinking about when Benson was little. Benson used to be so hard to put to bed. Actually it wasn't the getting him there, it was the getting him to stay there! So, out of desperation, Andy turned the door knob around for me. Then, Benson would get a chance to stay in bed, if he didn't we would lock the door from the outside! Someone made the comment to me once that this was child abuse. I just laughed. Some parents have never had a child like Benson who was describedly "quite a boy". I could follow after him all day and still not keep up. He would go from one mess to another, not trying to be bad, quite the opposite in fact. Benson loved to be good. But out of sheer curiosity he would take things apart to see how they worked. Or rip apart a book and then tell me he knew how people made books now! So when this anonymous person said that it was child abuse at the end of the day to lock him in his room so he would be forced to slow down and go to sleep, all I could do was laugh and say, "No, it is the Prevention of Child Abuse!" After all, nobody has that much patience!


This picture is actually Eli, I guess all of my boys have been busy, are all boys?

3 comments:

Jennifer said...

I know oh so many people who did this very thing and many other variations. Sleep is important for everyone at all costs.

Anonymous said...

Yea, I don't think all boys are so busy. But I had my share of that too. We actually put a hook & eye on the outside of the bedroom door.
am

Jenn said...

Good for you in doing what you feel is best for you and your kids. Mercy. It seems as though everyone has an opinion about what consitutes child abuse. He seems to have emerged from the bedtime routine just fine. Eli cracks me up sleeping in that laundry basket.