A Jurassic Park Moment
arun on Dec 26 2007 at 7:12 pm | Filed under: 0 to 2 year old, parenting | Click here to go HOME | or find out about SUBSCRIBING TO THE PIT |
I dont remember much of the movie Jurassic Park, but I remember that scene. The raptors are small, meat (ie people) eating, vicious dinosaurs and they are loose in the base… i think the script went something like:
- guy: (loads gun) so there are only two raptors right? The third one is contained.
woman: yes… that is… unless they have learnt how to open doors
Scene cuts to another room – close up of door handle turning and raptor walks through door
I have to admit that this scene was the first thing that popped into my head the other day when 20 month old Z managed to open the fridge door by himself for the first time. I thought of the glass bottles at the bottom shelf; of the things that would thaw out while he inspected the yet unexplored new area of his domain; and of how control of my world just slipped away slightly more…
“Oh shit… its a Jurassic Park moment” said my brain.
It was up to a day later before I was able to tackle that response. What did I really witness – a problem or a special moment for my child?
I had to consciously remind myself that Z was growing; that life was changing; that he was learning and becoming more independent. I had to remind myself of the joy in his face at being able to impact on his world just that little bit more. I had to remind myself to not be such a bloody control freak and as our daughter often tells us, “take a chill pill”.
So as I work on rearranging our fridge and my brain to make them both more “Z friendly”, I can start to see what is happening from a different perspective. Rather than an inconvenience and “break in containment”, I realise that it is time to take joy in Z’s development and new discoveries. It’s time for me to support his new exploration rather than fearing it.
Its time for me to leave my Jurassic Park moments where they belong… in the past.
Great analogy! And something deep for me to think about.
You bring back memories! When MJ and Chloe were small, I wanted to protect my precious stereo gear. I purchased sophisticated locks which would *surely* keep them out of the stereo cabinet. I was barely started on installing the second lock before they had foiled the first one which I had just finished installing. Well, darn!
What little geniuses! All of them, all little geniuses. I frequently have to remind myself to simply stay out of their way as they discover the universe.
You go, Z!
Kids are just too darn smart! LOL I still remember the panic and fear when my oldest learned how to open the front door. It is kind of a Jurassic Park moment, but also so amazing that they figured this new thing out so easily.
Jurassic park moment - I love that! I realized one day that the only way my toddler would get better at navigating stairs is if I let him navigate stairs. Duh! In our quest to child-proof our homes, it’s as if we want to dampen their quest for experimentation and knowledge.
i wish i could remember the number of times i’ve re-arranged our fridge so that it’s toddler friendly, but alas i cannot. i lost count long ago.
the smile on his little face the first time he discovered that uncharted terrain was priceless. i’ll never forget it.
Wait til it’s the driver’s side door with a liscence in one hand and keys in the other…”Oh Shit” is right.
You’ll long for the day when assuring their safety was a mere matter of rearranging the contents of your fridge.
Great post!
Oh there is so much I am yet to come up against with Baby #3 (13 months)…he can’t open our fridge (yet), but could open the one at the bach last week which sent eveyroen else in to a panic…they had to find hte baby gate :0( He learned this week to get out the front gate, which I knew wouldn’t take long to work out (it was fairly budget)- I’m just glad I was with him…because this is my first child to *really* love being on the road.