Parenting a Curious Toddler: My Experiences with the Priceless Lessons of Curiosity and Play

Raising a toddler at the age of 54 can be both a joyful and challenging experience. When you have a child in your 20s or 30s, you're still adapting to new routines and the changes a child brings. But when you have a child in your mid-50s, especially after 15 years of marriage without children, you face a unique set of pleasant challenges.

You become accustomed to a particular way of living as an individual and as a couple. After years of maintaining a certain order and routine, the arrival of a curious toddler necessitates significant adjustments. You can no longer leave your phone, keys, or valuables lying around because your little one sees everything as a potential plaything. This background sets the stage for my conversation today about the cost of curiosity and play in a child's world.

A child’s curiosity is insatiable. To a child, the world is one big playground, and everything in it is a toy. While adults may designate specific items as toys, children see everything—from the TV to the laptop—as fair game for exploration. Through play, they explore their world and satisfy their curiosity. As parents, we must adapt both mentally and physically to this reality, understanding that anything within reach is a potential plaything.

One must make the home child-proof: blocking electrical outlets, securing dangerous items, and keeping valuables out of reach. There’s a Child Safeguarding and Protection principle that says, "Whatever you don’t want children to touch, don’t keep it around them." This wisdom is profound, yet in practice, it can be daunting. As conscious parents, we naturally keep harmful items out of children's reach—flammable substances, poisons, and sharp objects.

For instance, in our home, we have a minimalist living room, devoid of a central table to avoid the risk of our 2-year-old son hitting his head or encountering other hazards such a table, particularly the edges, could pose. All electric appliances are kept beyond his reach. Cabinets containing dangerous items like bleach and cutlery are securely locked. We even do our best to keep valuables out of his reach, and we have given it a good shot. However, there are instances where we have dropped the ball due to human foibles, and such instances can be costly depending on how valuable the item involved is.

Despite these efforts, there are always those items we forget or don't consider hazardous, only to find them in the curious hands of our child. Rings, car keys, and other personal items often go missing, only to be discovered in unexpected places weeks later.

For instance, I recall losing two rings. One was found under the sofa a month later, and the other turned up in a jacket pocket. Car keys have also vanished, once forcing my wife to use an Uber because our son had hidden them in his bedding.

One incident stands out: my wristwatch, insured for two years, vanished shortly after I canceled the insurance. Although I can't definitively blame my son, his habit of exploring every nook and cranny makes it plausible. Despite tracking the watch to our house using my phone, extensive searches have proved futile. For two years, I paid a substantial amount to insure the watch, feeling secure. Ironically, it was just a month after canceling the insurance that the watch disappeared. Now, without insurance, I'm left without recourse, unable to claim a replacement. This regret gnaws at me, reminding me that sometimes the cost of insurance is a small price to pay for peace of mind, especially in a home with a curious toddler.

My wife's treasured makeup powder went missing for months, only to be found tucked away in the bed frame during a search for my watch. His penchant, characteristic of children his age, for taking and hiding items extends to my glasses, which he once discarded in the basement store. Fortunately, my wife saw him do it, saving us from a lengthy search.

The frustration of losing personal items teaches us that while it’s easy to criticize others for leaving valuables within children’s reach, managing this in practice is quite different. For example, I once chastised my sister for leaving her perfumes and powder where her daughter could reach them, only to find myself in similar situations repeatedly with other items like I have shared in this piece.

The right of children to play is fundamental, but it comes with its challenges, often manifested in ways that can be both costly and stressful.

So, this is my rant for the week, sharing the complexities of ensuring children’s right to play while managing the chaos it brings. I invite other parents to share their experiences raising toddlers. It’s clear that the mantra of keeping things out of children’s reach is easier said than done. Yes, we can secure harmful items, but daily essentials and personal belongings often become the casualties of their innocent curiosity.