The Daddy: The kid’s room in the morning: Entertaining Play Room or Locked Gulag so We Can Attempt to Get Ready Like Adults?
The Momma: Oh, it’s definitely a way for us to get ready. The day he figures out the childproof door knob cover is the day I’ll have to start getting up at the butt crack of dawn to attempt getting ready.
D: Are we supposed to be feeling guilty that he literally cannot get out in the morning? Because I feel like if he could, we may have both gone totally insane by now, trying to handle the morning and his wackiness. Showering would definitely have to start happening at night.
M: I know that for a lot of people, the idea that he’s “trapped” in his room is a big deal. But honestly, he’s in a baby-proofed room filled with toys and books while we take 20 minutes to get ready. I know some people think that makes us terrible parents, but I honestly don’t see the problem.
D: I agree. He plays happily and only rarely hammers on the door, but yes. I’m sure there are millions of people who WISH they had a way of keeping the kid in the room in the morning for a few minutes. I’m dreading the day his modified safety door latch fails and he figures out how to open that door.
M: The funny part to me is that half the time we come in and he’s just hanging out in his bed, or in his chair, chillin’ with his toys and books.
D: Yeah, if anything, he’s learned to play by himself more. My favorite is when we come in and he’s just sitting in his chair waiting patiently, looking at me. As if to say “oh, you’re ready NOW?”
M: I do love that.
M: Honestly, I chalk this up to a bigger version of a playpen. We need a few minutes to get ready, he needs a safe place to hang out while we do that, this is the perfect answer for us.
D: That’s a great way of thinking about it. Again, if he was just screaming his head off or crying or something, that’d be one thing. But yeah, it’s very much like a playpen, that happens to have a bazillion toys.
M: This is one that I just don’t worry about. It works for our family, he’s happy, we get ready, all is right with the world.
D: If anything, we should be dreading when it no longer works, rather than worrying if it’s the right thing to do or not.
M: EXACTLY.
