Every day I stop my toddler son from burning the house down

… or something similar that may or may not cause as much damage.

My toddler son is a big fan of any and all things he is not supposed to touch.

Computers, iPhones, light sockets (which he can now pull the protectors off of!), power cords, knives, stairs, tables, chairs, pens, water, small objects, any and all electronics. You know… the usually items that every little boy and girl wake up and run to in an attempt to see how they can maim or injure themselves. Truly, I  question what goes on in that kids head. I mean you fall backwards off the bed enough times after you sit down on the edge, you’d think you’d quit sitting down on the edge. Right? Apparently not.

I’m sure there is some very good sciencency psychological developmental mumbo-jumbo that goes along with the ability to sequence events with consequences… blah blah blah, but I have always heard that insanity is repeating the process exactly and expecting a different outcome. A few more months of this and I’ll be pretty sure the booger is a loon.

Any-who. I suppose that is why the term baby-proofing came into existence. Apparently my little  Evel Knievel is that the only tiny human to attempt this on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, the whole world does not make products with babies in mind. And even more unfortunately, before you have children you never stop to think about they fact that tiny tots can make themselves, and your pretty doo-dads, because of these items.

I give you:
       The Entertainment Center

I could have been conservative and gotten a modest TV, and enclosed in inside a cabinet. Heck, I could have even mounted the sucker over the fire place to conserver space and created a better focal point… but no. I had to put the sucker right in the middle of the room with a hundred tiny buttons, do-hickeys, and fun looking items to a toddler. I had to do that.

For a very long time we had the pack in play in front of the thing. It’s a good thing too because I would have been very disappointed about that $150 down the drain for yet another item that Ty refused to use. One day I should make a list of these things. (off the top of my head crib, room, pack and play, bouncers, outside swing, video baby monitor, breast pump…. and a whole lot of other items I’ve conveniently forgot) It worked decently, as the infrared could penetrate the mesh, but gosh its hideous, and its you couldn’t really put any toys in it because it would block the remote reception and one of the house rules is certainly: Don’t loose the remote, don’t stand in front of the TV, and makes sure crap is moved out of the way so the clicker works… or something.

So I built a TV cage. Honestly, I think I should have just built a Ty cage, but the TV wont make near as much fuss as Ty would.

Tada:

Several hours, splinters, and split wood later I got the sucker together and spray painted. Then I stapled porch screen around it. Apparently, I got just enough to make one door, because I ran out. No problem, I’m a crafty lady with ample supplies. I took some black polyester speaker looking fabric and finished it off. Stapled that stuff down and pushed it in front of the TV.

 Geez, I can’t believe how those people in that house spoil their kid and let him have run of it? That is love. True love.

Does it hold up to the hellion? I have no idea. We shall see tomorrow, but for tonight at least I get to bask in the glory of having one less gigantic object in the living room and that I used power tools and a need and tread all in the same project!