Oh yes...this is a major Mommy Fail moment...get ready for it.
{photo to display stinker tendencies}
So yesterday morning, Ryan had to go to work early {he normally goes to work after me} and so I was left to get Ethan ready for the day, as well as myself. We were doing great until I noticed my windshield was frozen over and that I better start up the car so it could defrost. Now, I am not normally one to leave Ethan unattended, but it was literally a total of maybe 20 seconds in and out. So I run out to turn on the car and rush back to the door, only to find it locked.
F.
My little stinker of a son has been known to turn the lock on this particular door knob {and only this door knob} and he had done so in the mere seconds I was gone. So I did what any rational parent would do and start knocking on the door and rattling the door knob...hoping that Ethan would somehow magically figure out how to unlock it. All I got in response was some jiggling of the door knob back and some giggling.
So I thought, ok, don't panic, you can always just open the front door. We have a key box right next to our door, so I got the key out and unlocked the door knob...only to realize that the deadbolt was on.
Double F.
Panic started to set in. OK...so I am outside {thankfully already dressed for the day!} and I don't have my cell phone or any keys to unlock the house. And Ethan is inside, by himself {well, if you don't count the cat and dog}. I figured he would start figuring out his predicament {toddler separation issues} and would surely start to panic himself. He quickly proved me wrong!
I jiggled the door some more to the garage but realized I had to come up with plan c. I remembered letting Wilson out to go potty and thought maybe...just maybe... I had left the back sliding door unlocked. When I got to the back sliding door and peered in, Ethan was happy as a clam, pushing his wastebasket around the living room. Stinker. I tried the sliding door...no dice.
In the past, Ethan has also figured out how to pop the sliding door lock open. This lock has a spring and even the smallest push can pop it open. So I knocked on the glass pane, coaxing him to come over. and ask him to open the lock. He is all smiles...of course he thinks this is a game. And Wilson {our dog} is not helping by getting in Ethan's way with the hope of breaking out. Ethan tries pulling the handle several times and then just like that, his little finger hits the lock and it unlocks.
THANK GOODNESS!
Boy do I have a clever baby...he not only locked me out of the house, but also let me back in. Phew!
Boy do I have a clever baby...he not only locked me out of the house, but also let me back in. Phew!
It all lasted maybe a total of 10 minutes and no harm was done. But I quickly called Ryan and we agreed that we definitely had to get a key to our deadbolt ASAP as well as think about changing the knobs in our house STAT.
Eek! I swear, it was the perfect storm this morning...I am just so happy he unlocked the door for me or else who knows what I would have done!!
Ahh! Tell me I'm not the only one who has experienced a total mommy fail like this before!!
With all of that being said, I hope you have a great weekend {that hopefully does not involve toddler lockouts!} and that you can relax and enjoy {ie: have a glass of wine, like I surely will tonight!}.
xo natasha
Wow!!! Smart little guy. This hadn't happened to me, but my mother-in-law always tells the story about when my bro-in-law locked her out when he was a toddler. I definitely would've panicked. So happy he let you in and all was ok :) love that picture of him. What a cutie!
ReplyDeleteAwww, don't beat yourself up. This is just too funny. I can't tell you how many times I've accidently dropped a bottle of powder on Lance's head, walked through a doorway...clunking his head on the door jam, or walking out of the house without the diaper bag. At least we have the memories to look back on and laugh! : )
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh...talk about panic! Cam would totally do the same thing and just laugh...those boys!! I am so glad you got in and he didn't start having a meltdown!! I hope you had a big glass of wine last night! :) HAPPY FRIDAY!!
ReplyDeleteThis will make you feel better...... We had lived in our house for 2 weeks when my husband and I decided to both go to the garage to get the trash ready to be taken out. Our 2.5 year old daughter who was sitting on the step watching us, went back in through the door and locked it!!! We had zero keys hidden nor had given any to the neighbors as spares yet. We had to call the police!! Two fire trucks and 2 police cars with lights later, the entire neighborhood was peeking out their windows at the scene. The police officer had to use a drill to take off the door hinges!! Awesome parenting moment for us :) All in all, our daughter was inside for 35 minutes alone.
ReplyDeleteYou definitely aren't alone! This hasn't happened to us (yet) but I've heard so many stories where it has! Glad you were able to get in without calling a locksmith or 911.
ReplyDeleteI would have panicked too! At least he didn't freak out because that probably would have made me freak out even more. I often have to bring Bella in the house through the garage and drop her off quick to go grab her sister but fortunately she doesn't mess with the locks - yet. At least he is one smart little boy! Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteloveandlifesimplified.blogspot.com
oh my goodess! this is the exact reason why i leave a spare key in a realtor lock box. i have a fear my boys will do this fairly soon ;0)
ReplyDeleteWow! Smart boy for sure! No, you definitely aren't alone. We had to live on a farm in the middle of no where with my in-laws when Lily was 7-9 months. Just after moving in, I let the dogs out and the door shut behind me. No one told me it locked automatically so my poor baby was stuck inside all by herself!!!! Long story short, the neighbor heard me screaming, ran over took the window unit out, crawled through and unlocked the door. Total maybe 10 minutes. I raced in expecting Lily to be hysterical. She was happy as a clam sitting with her toys and crawling around. I was mortified and felt mom guilt all day! -xo Amanda
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! You poor thing! These toddlers are so mischievous. At least you could see him, right? And don't feel embarrassed -- we've all been there.
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh! I worry about this because my daughter stands at the back door trying to open it as I am taking the dogs out and I just know she is going to lock me out. Luckily, we recently installed a garage code opener for the garage and so at least I know I have a way back in. Unless she locks the door from the garage to the house. Then I am in trouble. :)
ReplyDeleteOh you poor thing. The stress of that is so crazy. I remember locking R in a car and total panic set it. It's the thought that they might panic that is so bad. Happy to hear E took it all in stride and all is well. Strap yourself in, love!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, I would have had a full on panic attack. What a smartie you have! Thank goodness you were able to get back in. This is a great reminder that I need to hide a key outside asap. :)
ReplyDeleteAhhhh so glad everything worked out! As stressful as it was I'm sure, this will totally be one of those stories that I'm sure you'll look back on and laugh about when Ethan is older - ha! Also, I can just totally picture him and Wilson inside the house thinking this is all a big game LOL :) Glad you stayed calm and that it all turned out OK! Have a good weekend (and a big glass of wine!) friend :) xoxo
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness!! So glad everything worked out.....I can only imagine! ahh! So scary!!!
ReplyDeleteOh goodness!! Thank goodness he was able to get you back in!! I have a horror story of locking a child in my car with my keys in the center console. It was a nightmare! Fire truck had to show up and everything!!
ReplyDeleteOh no! I am so scared this is going to happen and almost can't believe it hasn't happened to me yet. My husband did lock me out one time while I was laying out in the backyard. He forgot I was out there and left. So I had to go to my neighbors house in my bathing suit. I was so embarrassed.
ReplyDeleteOh no! thankfully little miss is a peanut and cannot reach the locks...yet. However, given her personality, its only a matter of time until this happens to us!
ReplyDeleteHE DID NOT! That little stinker! That's two parts horrifying, one part hilarious. So glad he finally let you back in! Not a mom fail at all, that stuff happens all the time : ) It's become a daily event that H eats food that he just pulled out of Tucker dog's mouth... woops. They'll live!
ReplyDeleteI'm loving that he opened up the sliding door for you. That's so awesome.
ReplyDeleteWe've haven't had *that* specific thing happen to us, but plenty of similar antics! motherhood isn't for the faint of heart that's for sure!!!
Oh my gosh, how crazy is that!! What a smart little guy for letting you back in though!
ReplyDeleteThis is THE best thing I have heard all week. I would have given anything to be a fly on the wall and watch this all go down. Smartest Boy ever!
ReplyDeleteBeen there, done that!! My oldest locked me out when she was about 2. After much pleading, coaxing with my girlfriend/neighbor's son (her best bud), m&ms, nothing!! And, at that point she didn't panic and hid in a corner crying (daddy trying to talk to her through the answering machine was just making things so much worse (this was before fancy cellphones!!). My girlfriend and I finally realized that the door that she locked (the one connecting the house to the garage (where our laundry was that I had stepped out to do) had the hinges on the outside!! We took a hammer to the hinges and lifted the door completely off to get inside!! Of course, after the fact, I was telling hubby that having hinges on the outside was not a good thing...if I could get the dang door off that fast, so could a burglar!!!
ReplyDeleteYou should install an electric key pad on one door, that way you can never be locked out.
ReplyDeleteMy son locked me out when he was little... Luckily I had my phone but before anyone could get there to help me, he pushed the kitchen table chair over to the counter, found a relatively sharp instrument and began gouging out the wall below the counter. I guess it's a mommy rite of passage to be locked out :)
ReplyDeleteTOTALLY have been there. Izzy was 4 mths old sitting in her carrier (not strapped in) when I ran out to the garage to get the stroller for a walk. Locked myself out. We had JUST moved in so I didn't even know the neighbors. I knocked on their door a blubbering mess so I could use their phone to call a locksmith. 45 long minutes later they got me in. Thank God she was ok. Felt like the worse mommy ever.
ReplyDeleteOh man! Thank goodness Ethan is smart and could unlock the back door! Who knew his bad habit would come in so handy? This hasn't happened to us (yet) but my husband did lock us out of our house and we had to call a locksmith and then $179 later... At least yours was cheaper and faster :)
ReplyDeleteOh my! Isn't it great we can think rationally in times like this? My son locked my downstairs once! Yes, in our basement!! I keep a screw driver down there now so I can pop the lock if I need to... not sure why we even have a lock on the door leading to the basement. BUT, I had to call my parents from downstairs and they came over and unlocked me! UGH! They live 10 minutes away. Thank goodness I had a phone downstairs or I really don't know what I would have done... UGH!
ReplyDeleteThis is almost EXACTLY the same story that happened to me!! It was this past summer and I ran out to load things in the car quickly because we were heading to a wedding shower. I turn to head back into the house and the door is LOCKED. Complete freak out. It's blazing heat, I'm sweating in my dress, trying to coax my 11 month old son (at the time) into unlocking the door. Complete freak out - I knew the front door was locked as well as the patio doors and didn't know what to do. No cell phone. Nothing. Until...I remember I had loaded my handbag into the car, with the front door keys. Fortunately we didn't have the dead bolt on and I was able to get in. I walked in and he is sitting peacefully on the couch. Holy moly it was the worst!
ReplyDeleteGlad I'm not the only one =)
I was notorious for locking people out of the house... At least 4-5x!!! It'll make a great story one day!
ReplyDeleteWe have fallen victim to a toddler lockout too! Must be a rite of passage! Glad everything worked out okay :)
ReplyDeleteThis very thing happened to me and wow, did I go in panic mode. Ethan is such a smart boy.
ReplyDeleteI just started following your blog and this story had me laughing so hard I almost woke up my 17 month old little boy!! Gonna have to talk to my husband about getting us spare keys for outside because I can totally see my little boy doing this!! Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteHAHA Ethan! Props on all accounts :) of course, I'm so glad he was OK and it didn't last long but that is a hilarious story woman. What kind of hoaxing did you do through that sliding glass door?! LOL! love it
ReplyDeletewhat a buster! this hasn't happened to me...yet. i know it will soon! my biggest fear is getting locked out of the car with B inside. that would be horrible!
ReplyDeleteI am always so worried about this! Especially in our bathroom. Hayden can easily lock those doors and I keep thinking he's going to lock himself in there!
ReplyDelete