A risk vs benefit analysis ..

Aka "parenthood".

I sometimes feel like my not-so-proud-but-I-survived moments of mothering are all about risk vs benefit.

For example, tonight.

Al was out grilling dinner.

I was in the kitchen cleaning up and getting our meal put together. And for once, in a rare occurrence, Leah wasn't screaming at me, trying to climb into the dishwasher, trying to wrestle a snack out of the cabinet or trying to jam herself strategically between me and whatever I was doing. Josh wasn't filing a loud, preemptive protest over our "outlandish" dinner choices.

They were upstairs. Alone. Thus "risk" (2 unsupervised kids) vs "benefit" (me making dinner in peace).

I am fully aware there is a risk involved when a 4yo and 20 mo play mostly unsupervised out of sight. However, the payoff, a quiet empty kitchen was worth it, I decided.

I could certainly hear them, which is always a good sign. If I have learned one thing in motherhood, quiet is never, EVER good unless they are sleeping in bed or confined in a carseat. I digress. I heard them because they were laughing, playing and there was no cries of torture. There was a lot of banging, however.
(RED FLAG*RED FLAG*RED FLAG)

I actually spent a few minutes mentally calculating what they might actually be capable of.

Working to my advantage: They are both quite short and can't reach too much. Leah can't get into the bathroom on her own. Our bedroom door was shut. They can't open windows yet. We don't own anything particularly valuable.

Working to their advantage: Joshua isn't normally naughty, so I never see it coming from him. Leah is frequently naughty and we've gotten quite proactive, which has compelled her to be more crafty. She is also basically a spider that can scale walls and furniture with little effort and great speed. Joshua is very much into "creative, active" play.

The analysis:

*Twenty minutes of peace begat fifteen minutes of clean-up, netting five minutes of benefit!

The damage:

Every single item not too heavy to move, in Leah's room, was hauled into her closet because Josh wanted to "bury her" in there. (Which, by the way, she thought was hysterical.) This includes, but was not limited to, every book off her shelf, every dopey stuffed animal I keep meaning to pitch, every toy, the contents of her sock drawer, the contents of her small toy bin & her train set (conveniently disassembled). From the smallest block to the grocery cart, it was all there.

When that wasn't fun anymore, they resorted to playing IN the toy bins.

No matter.
I got to make dinner in peace and
Josh & Leah got a little lesson in "natural consequences".