The Playpen

Yes, I am a playpen mom! Daddy finally got it out of storage on Monday and I am so happy. This is one of those things that I think falls under the category of parenting philosophies and I am a firm believer of the playpen. I think it provides safety and some downtime for me to get things done without wondering where and what the latest peanut might be getting into. We child proof our house of all the major baby risks but with 7 people living here things get over looked, left behind and not put away. The carpet is not always free of choking hazards and I have already had one major scare.

Like right now, EG is in the playpen as I type. She is right next to me playing with her toys. But I am not having to, every 30 seconds, check to see where she is and what she is getting into. The big kids will sit with her and entertain her sometimes. And I have been known to bring the playpen outside while the big kids play.

I always take her out when she starts to get fussy. I don't want her to think of it as a prison. When she starts to learn obedience, it will be used as a place to go when she doesn't "obey." I am all about parenting in a funnel. The smaller end of the funnel is where we start. Small responsibilities and freedoms. And as my kids obedience grows and they show more responsibility then the freedoms grow. Not let them run wild and then have to restrict them. (At least this is my theory I try to use that I learned about from the "Babywise" book.)

Nature Girl will randomly say "When I am 16 I will get to drive." My response to that is "Driving isn't about age it is about responsibility." It is the WAY larger part of the parenting funnel . . .