Trouble

Dear Crosby,

I love you, but you are a handful. I always doubted people when they said things like, “Little boys are just different. They’re a real challenge.” I already had a high-spirited daughter, so really? How much harder could it be? Well, all those people were right. Boys are different. You get into everything, despite my very best efforts. Here’s a glimpse of what a typical day with you involves.

The toilet. You are an addict. We may have an intervention in the form of a potty lock once I feel confident that your sister can unlock it when she needs to.
P.S. Notice the garbage can is sitting on top of the toilet. That is because you also like to dig in the trash.

Splash, splash, splash! Gross, gross, gross!

Oh? The wipes that you hide on top of the bookshelf? I scaled the couch so I could reach them and then shred them up all the living room. Isn’t that what they’re for?

The cabinet with the spice rack and pots and pans is another favorite spot for you. It used to have a child-proof lock on it, but your sister broke it off. At first I moved all the spicy things, like red pepper flakes and cayenne, to the back and out of your reach. Then I decided that maybe a taste of those is just what you need to stop coming back.

Your new hang out is our shoe rack.

Every day, you shove all the shoes off of it, climb up and just chill. Now I don’t even bother putting the shoes back when you finally leave your perch because you just pull them off again.

.

At least I have your sister, who never gets into anything. Especially not writing tools with permanent ink.

You’re lucky you got off so easy, Kid. I caught her just as she was going in for your forehead.

…….

This post makes me look like I’m that stay-at-home-mom who watches talk shows all day with a bottle of Merlot while her kids run wild. There are days when I wish that was the case. But in reality, the above images capture the shenanigans that occur while I do irresponsible things like go to the bathroom (that is, when my son is not already using the toilet as a splash pad) or make the kids lunch. Every day truly is an adventure, one where markers are weapons, couches are cliffs and toilets the ultimate entertainment.

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