Rookie Dad: Just call her Hercules

It was Tuesday night when I laughed at what The Youngling did. After some brute force tugging and prying, she finally opened the refrigerator door. Then it dawned on me that she opened the refrigerator door. It instantly went from "Oh, that's sooo cute" to "Oh crap, how are we going to keep her out of the refrigerator?"

The rest of the evening we kept her occupied in other rooms of the house and silently hoped that she'd forget about the adventures that awaited her inside the refrigerator.

Then came a text message as I left the office Wednesday afternoon. "Had to tape the fridge shut, she won't stay out of it". I knew that this would not be good. It's like that coming day that many parents dread -- the day their child learns how to work door knobs and goes sprinting outside in to the elements wearing nothing but a diaper.

When I arrived home I had a good laugh at the new masking tape latch which the wife had installed while I was grocery shopping. It definitely took our ghetto-ness to the next level. All we need now is a car up on blocks in the front yard for The Youngling to climb all over and our transition is complete.

In all seriousness though, how long does the incessant exploring last? Last night she actually got the refrigerator open even with the makeshift tape latch haphazardly in place and proceeded to sprint through the house recklessly carrying a Gladware container of peaches... upside down. That mess would have been worse that Monday night's Mandarin oranges on the white area rug.

Oh well, you can replace home furnishings but you can't replace a childhood.