I remember my parents talking about toddlers entering the curtain climber stage and then the terrible twos. It does present a funny word picture if you think about your toddler hanging from the curtains like a feisty kitten. My daughter is almost 18 months old and based on her recent feats; I would say that she has officially entered the curtain climber stage. In the last week, I have had to grab her off the top of one of our computer desk, about 10 times. In our playroom, also known as our library and computer room, we have two large desks. Each desk has a computer and printer set up on it. One desk has tubs full of stuffed animals under it. My daughter climbs onto the stacks of stuffed animals and then pulls herself up onto the desk. Once there, she yells, “Hey, mama.”

Of course, she laughs as I grab her off the desk and put her back on the ground. I figure if I have pulled her off from there 10 times, then her older brothers and sisters have probably done it that many times as well.

She loves to wash her hands and play in water. Today, I was trying to get supper in the oven and she wanted to help. I ended up pulling a captain’s chair over to the sink, handed her a cup, and turned the water on low. She was giggling, getting a cup of water, taking a drink, pouring the water out, and then doing it again. I turned around for a minute and when I looked back at her, she was perched on the inch thick back of that chair like a ballerina.

At times like that, you try not to yell or over react, lest you cause the child to fall. However, I did move rather quickly to stand her safely back on the seat of that chair. She will certainly keep me on my toes.

Photo Credit Julia Fuller 2007