You will find these all around my house. This of course being the "prettiest" one we have. You will also find supplies for a leash sitting in my sewing area. Cruel? I don't think so.
There are many arguments about "restraining" your kid. Here is my take on the subject. I like for him to have freedom. He plays in his room alone, he runs through most of the house. He is all boy and climbs everything. BUT before we allowed him those freedoms we put things in place to protect him. We put caps on the outlets, gates into the bathroom, you get the idea.
While I want to allow him to run and explore and learn about the world around him I don't want that to include running in front of a car, or getting lost. I don't want that to include drowning in the toilet (I am pretty confident he could figure that out) or falling down the stairs.
As parents it is our job to teach our children and to keep them safe. No matter how silly I may look while my kid runs through the zoo on a leash (he is a monkey after all) I will not apologize for keeping him safe. I will smile sweetly as you tell me that I am being cruel, and simply tell you that I want him to enjoy freedom while staying safe.
As I have been thinking on this subject I am reminded that my heavenly Father also puts things in place to keep me safe. Sometimes we fight them, or simply don't know they are there. He allows us freedom, but he protects and guides us as we daily learn to be like him. I am grateful for that protection.
You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5
Gates are a necessity! We let N have free reign in our house, even letting her get into things to explore and learn. We've made sure we've put up everything that's dangerous and she knows certain areas not to go into (and usually abides by this).
ReplyDelete