When Evelyn gets out of her carseat, she's often the first one to go into the house while I finish up various things in the carport. Taking her sister out of her seat, shutting the carport door, grabbing groceries or shopping bags...you get the picture. While I do all this, Evelyn likes to practice locking and unlocking the door. Every time she does this my mind flashes to a time when we were living in South Dakota and I locked my friend in the house, and she couldn't get the door unlocked. My mind quickly flashes away from that memory, and then all is well.
All was not well yesterday, let me tell you. We had went on a walk up to our housing agency to pay December's rent, and I had the back of the van opened up so I could store my big Cadillac of a double stroller. Evelyn helped herself through the door, and then I heard the loud click. Momentarily paused, listened for the second click which could either mean she unlocked it or she locked the other side as well. Not hearing the second click, I went about my business emptying the stroller, and unbuckling Cora.
Half a minute later, I hear Evelyn's voice through our tempered glass sliding door saying, "I can't do it." I can hear her little hand against the metal of the lock because while she's trying to push it up, it won't go all the way up but does make a clanging noise when it does settle back down into its locked position. Sighing and rolling my eyes, I abandon my unloading area at the rear of the carport and make my way up to the door.
She says she "can't" do it again, and I become irritated because I do not like when she says she can't do something. When she has a hard time doing something, she gets frustrated very easily and sometimes is quick to surrender to the task, saying she "can't" do it. I tell her that yes, she can do it, and she will do it. She's done it in the past. It's okay, you can do it. While still trying, she says she can't.
I tell her to try the other side of the door. Our door locks in two spots -- one in the middle where the two sliding doors meet, and then on the left hand side. The right hand side has a lock too but we never move that door. She goes over, tries to fiddle with it, and says she can't again.
Now I'm irritated because I feel like this is baloney, and I tell her she'll be in Big Trouble if she doesn't open the door right now. This is not the right thing to say because her sniffles that had just recently started turned into sobs. Rolling my eyes again but also starting to feel a bit panicky myself, I decide to see if I've left any doors open.
I'll let everyone in on a little secret, since we are moving soon anyway, and no one will be able to come sneak in. When Dan is home, I usually leave one of the sliding doors unlocked for easy open-and-shut access to let Toby outside. Since he's been gone, though, I've been locking it every night. I did not unlock it yesterday morning before we left. Remembering that at one time, I left one of the doors in the back unlocked in case I lose the keys while out and about, I go back to try that door. Apparently after I let a gecko be free through that door, I locked it -- as if that would keep geckos out of our house.
Then I thought I remembered that maybe I left the sliding glass door unlocked in the office. It is like a jungle back there, and I am hesitant to subject myself to spiders or anything creepy crawly. I take a good look around, deem it spider-free, and go try to open the back sliding door. No. Dangit. On my way back around to the front of the house I can hear Evelyn, still at the door, crying loudly.
Trying a new tactic now as I realized I cannot even call our housing agency (my phone was in the house), I get down at her level on the opposite side of the door, and talk to her sweetly. Threatening her with a consequence was not the way to go about things and it made her emotions escalate quickly. Note to self: remember that in the future.
I tell her it is okay, and that she can do it. I believe in her, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, you don't have to be scared, it's okay. Just try a couple more times for Mommy. This is how you do it. Can you try, please? It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. She rises from her defeated slump on the floor, and gives it a few more tries, crying loudly all the while. Not only is she crying, but Cora has started crying too, and I am feeling as if tears are right around the corner too because I let my own kid lock herself in the house, and I can't help her.
Finally I hear a loud click and attempt to open the door so fast, feeling like if I open it as fast as possible, it will somehow unlock the other side if that side is still locked. Thankfully the door glides open quickly, and I give Evelyn a big hug. Repeat it's okay several more times, and tell her that from now on, we just will not play with the locks, okay? Okay. It's okay, Mommy isn't mad, you aren't in trouble. Then I go retrieve Cora who is crying in her seat, and all is well in our world again. Whew, crisis averted.
Of course we agreed that she wouldn't play with the locks any longer but I've also decided that I need to bring my phone out with me all the time if I go out and she stays in the house and I need to bring the house key, too. Also maybe leaving one of the sliding doors unlocked for good measure.
I may be remembering this incorrectly but when I was little and had convinced my friend to lock the door with her inside and me outside, I think my Dad and some of the guys from his work had to come and get through the backdoor somehow. I want to say they had to break in but maybe that is just my exaggerated memory. Maybe they had a key, who knows.
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