Fairy Tale Rule #3

Sometimes All You Can Do Is Laugh At Your Child's Frustration!

While I love my daughter dearly and I normally would not allow her to suffer if it wasn't necessary, all mothers have to admit that there have been times when all they could do is sit back and laugh.

If you recall my previous discussion about duct tape as a sleep aide, you will find all the more humor in this!

One of the drawbacks of having a cheap surround sound system hooked up to your television is the fact that their are wires and cables to run all over your house. We have managed to limit this delima by running the wires along the ceiling and behind furniture throughout most of the living room. However, there is one area where the livingroom goes into the hallway that this problem is difficult to fix. For some time we simply tried to keep the wire tight enough that no one tripped over it. However, over time that has proven to be a bit difficult.

In June, I asked Prince Charming to please cover the wire with tape to prevent further tripping disasters. Unfortunately, at the time I asked, we just so happened to be out of duct tape. Apparently, I used the last of it as a sleep aide.

For a temporary fix, he adhered the wiring to the carpet with regular packing tape. Anyone who has ever used packing tape will agree that sealing boxes is really the only good use for it. It seams that some molecular property of packing tape prevents it from adhering to any surface other than cardboard. After about a day, this packing tape solution was starting to fall apart.

By the time Prince Charming made it to market to purchase duct tape, the packing tape had complicated the tripping hazard to a point of near crisis. While Prince Charming readied the chariot for a trip to town, the Ogre-Child & I walked carefully in the area near the hall to preent ourselves from face-planting into the bathroom door.

It was then, in a moment of natural necessity, that I needed to use the royal powder room. So there I sit, as most mothers of toddlers do, with the bathroom door wide open while I perform the necessary duties. Instantly, the Ogre-Child goes into a panic attack from hell because Mommy is not within eye-shot of her. She runs, oblivious of her surroundings, towards the bathroom.

I sat helplessly watching her, knowing if she trips I cannot jump to her aide (at least not without creating an ungodly mess in the bathroom). At that moment, her little socked fot snags the edge of the packing tape. In her next step, she yanks the entire strip of packing tape (still attached to her sock) off of the floor. It is not until the strip of tape whips up and attaches to the back of her legs that she finally realizes something has gone wrong.

At this point she sits down in the hall and procedes to try and pull the tape from her foot. Her efforts only succeed in wrapping the tape further around her foot. Not to mention that now it is stuck to her hand. Left hand. Right hand. Left hand. Let the whining commence!

By now, I am finished with my own mission. However, I am laughing so hard at the sight of my child sitting on the floor wapped in packing tape, I cannot remove myself from my seated position. Finally, I manage to compose myself and head to her aide. At this point she is in great distress and pleading with me for assistance.

However, being the Real Life Fairy Tale Princess that I am. I could not assist her at that moment. I reassured her with loving words as I sat her on the couch and kissed her. And then....

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I got out the camera!!

Yes, I finally removed the tape which was so far wrapped around the Ogre-Child's foot that it required immediate amputation of the sock! A small sacrafice to pay for such a good laugh!!

A Real Life Fairy Tale Princess