There are such things as strong-willed children. Children are *smart*. Some kids are determined. Unless you have one of these kids, you have *no* idea what they are capable of.
I am a *very* aware SAH mom. I didn't get into soaps or allow myself to even get distracted with crafts when my son was young. But I was human. Sometimes I needed to sleep. Sometimes I needed a shower. I tried like hell to make sure he was sleeping or otherwise safe, but he still managed to get into *many* scary situations. At times I felt like pulling out my own hair, but all I could do was stay alert and wait for him to grow out of it. Thank G-d, eventually he did! But it's a miracle that he survived!
Imagine a three year old breaking his own window with a piece of his bed to crawl outside at 4AM on a bitterly cold winter morning to play with the car antenna while his parents were sleeping. Or a four year old crawling out of his window onto the roof when he was supposed to be taking a nap while mom was doing dishes. Or a three year old, running outside while you're cycling the laundry, starting the family car and driving it into the house. (I swear, he did it in less than 60 seconds. I didn't even get the dryer sheets into the dryer before the "BOOM" shook the whole house.) Or a six year old calling 911 to report a murder while his mom was taking a shower on a Saturday morning and he was supposed to be watching cartoons and eating his breakfast. (It was a ten minute shower.) Not all kids are like this. My daughter didn't do *any* of these things!
Was a he a bad kid? Nope. He was a curious kid. An intelligent kid who saw every obstacle we threw up as a puzzle to be solved. He was a prideful kid who wanted to prove he could do everything we could do. Right now he's 14 and a wonderful teen. Compassionate, funny and lovable in every way. (A bit of a show-off at the moment, but that too will pass.)
Parents are *not* gods. I had every child-proof lock invented in my house and he went past every one in less than a minute. ("The Boy Test" is what we called it.) Honestly, I think it's stunning that more of these things aren't reported every day.
Have some compassion for the parents of such a child. Have compassion for such a child! (My son felt horrible guilt when the consequences slammed him into the ground. And he eventually learned.) There is a serious difference between being malicious and for being curious. The consequences should reflect that.
(BTW, FOX news stated this morning that the kid was under 13. If he's a 17 year old punk, forget what I said. The kid has issues. What would be called normal curiosity in an 11 year old becomes criminal with time. Older kids know better.)
Wow! You WERE busy! And I thought my boys gave me little rest. I grew up with girls and have only now (after rearing two stepsons and our two younger sons) have I gotten used to the things boys do. It’s as if the urge to get into whatever peaks their curiosity far outweighs any consideration of consequences.
So what happen after he dialed 911 to report a murder....meaning I am curious to here the rest of the story.
Did the police come and search or just laugh it off as a busy lil guy exploring.
I bet this was years ago if it was now a days the State would force him onto meds. make you take parenting classes ect...
Zero tolerance kinda thing...just wrong on so many levels.
And yeah I agree with you in that I bet you had plenty of times your heart dang near stopped.
The son must have had his own crew of protective Angels. : )