If you had popped into my home this afternoon, you just might have thought I had gone just a little nuts. That's for good reason, because I feel like I'm at my wit's end with my youngest son. At my home you would have found a kitchen table with its chairs missing and a lamp hastily unplugged and set on mine and Mark's bed in a fit of frustration. These are the result of the latest bout of Gus's reckless behavior.
Here's a sampling of some of Gus's latest tricks. His obsession of late has been to climb onto the kitchen table via the chairs, hence the missing seating. The living room lamp? He just won't leave it alone. He's already broken one. Sadly, these aren't even his most dangerous endeavors. The other day he opened the oven drawer and tried to use it as a step in an attempt to reach the stove. Needless to say, that drawer is now taped shut. His pièce de résistance, however, came last week. I was playing hide and seek with the boys. What I saw when I walked into the kitchen took my breath away. The door to the oven was ajar. I had been baking cookies. What kept Gus from getting severely burned, I have no idea. In fact, he was completely fine. I'm convinced he must have a guardian angel. Never had it occurred to me that I would need to put a lock on my oven.
Then again, never have I encountered a child quite like my Gus. Ben was super-curious at this age, and Paulie eventually became a climber (though at an older age than Gus). Gus is both of these combined times 10. He has an insatiable appetite for daring deeds and discovery. Me? I can't stand the feeling of not being able to turn my back for a moment. I expect that the old adage, "This too shall pass" applies here. Until it does, however, my house may look just a little wacky.
