As my son's 2nd birthday approached, my wife and I realized it was time to tackle another milestone of child-rearing. He couldn't stay in a crib forever, and we thought we may as well get the transition over with. A week's search on Craigslist found us a bed with built-in side rails for 1/3 the length of the bed, and the right size to use his crib mattress for $25. RTA furniture from Craigslist will always be missing parts, but a power drill, screws, and parts cannibalized from his crib took care of that.
We decided the first time in the new bed should be his naptime on her day off so we would both be alert for the first signs of trouble. With baby monitor volume up, we settled into some old "Doctor Who", and....wait for it......
Thunk. "WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Cue the Jedi dash from living room to bedroom; ignore stubbed toe on kitchen table leg and deal with swelling later. Pick up child while still screaming, and begin recon for any signs of damage. Twenty minutes of consolation, no apparent damage, and he was back to happily chasing the cat again. Unfortunatlely, this also resulted in a one-hour nap; not long enough by any standard.
We kept him happy and occupied through the afternoon, all the way 'till his normal bedtime of 8:30; regular schedules are the only way to keep a house running with a midget. We kept an open ear until retiring ourselves around 11, thankfully without incident. Until 5 AM, anyway. Wait for it.....
Thunk. "WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Cue the Jedi dash from our bedroom to his; ignore stubbing other big toe on stove. Rinse and repeat from previous day, but add wife having to get to work. All through the morning I kept him happy and occupied, practicing letters and blocks and such. By lunch, all memory of the day's start was long gone. 1PM, time for nap, but he looked a little warily at the bed before climbing in. Once he was asleep, my routine of getting the mail and showering could kick in; all was once again well and normal. Nothing important in the mail, just filing some already-paid bills when.....wait for it.....
Thunk. "WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" No more Jedi dash (I was out of big toes). I knew he wasn't hurt, as there was an area rug just next to his bed, and he had now been fine twice over. After he calmed, I kept him up until normal bedtime, and he finally slept through the night. He had learned that gravity was a law to be obeyed at all times, not just a good idea while awake.
Just a light diary in a heady election cycle. If anything, it shows that anyone (even a 2 year old) can learn when faced with hard facts - in this case the floor. That's why I retain hope for right-wingers, teabaggers, evangelicals, etc.
I'm a parent. Hope for the future springs eternal.