Rules

Before we were parents, there was only one rule in our household: Charlie is not to whistle while Emily is napping.  This rule was broken constantly.  More often than it was followed.  But now, we suddenly have LOTS of rules.  Most of them, Scarlett disagrees with- loudly.


Household Rules that Scarlett Finds Unreasonable

1. No touching or licking the compost bin
2. No chewing on shoes that have recently been worn outside*
• *exception made for Scarlett's own shoes
3. No chewing on electrical cords*
• *exception sometimes made if the cord is unplugged and we really, really need two minutes to finish making dinner or use the bathroom
4. No licking the oven when it's hot.  Licking the oven when it's turned off isn't recommended, but is usually allowed.

There are a few more- they mostly involve not putting her fingers into places and not eating inedible things.  Most these issues arise because we have an old house, so there are a lot of things that can't be hidden- a fireplace, vents in the floors, etc.  And it's also because she follows us from room to room, so if we are doing something at the kitchen counter, she's suddenly there next to the oven and she CANNOT RESIST touching it.  Then we're at the dining room table, and she sees a laptop cord and she is immediately drawn to it.

She is doing surprisingly well with the Christmas tree.  She likes to reach out and touch it, and pull her hand back really quickly.  But otherwise, she likes looking at the ornaments and lights, but doesn't seem too entranced. 

Overall, I love that she's exploring, and I don't want to put a damper on her adventurous spirit.   I just want her to survive childhood with all 10 fingers intact.  Is that too much to ask?  Scarlett seems to think so.

"Yeah, my fingers are in the heater, what's it to ya?"