Right or Wrong?
The boy likes horses. The boy needed a chair to sit on. So, for his birthday, he got one of these:
It's a super-comfy chair for toddlers. And it would be perfect for the boy, except for one thing: it scares the crap out of him.
He was terrified when the present was first opened. Though he's calmed a bit since, he still won't go anywhere near it. Of course, if he doesn't want to sit in the chair, we're not going to make him do it. We don't want to minimize his fears, we make sure to acknowledge them and try to help him work through them. Particularly in cases where the subject of his fear is something we know is safe, it's our job as parents to help let him know, both with words and by example, that it's OK.
So, internet, let me ask you this: until he gets past this fear, is it wrong for me to strategically place this chair in order to keep him away from my computer desk? How about if I bought a second one to keep him from touching the DVD player and TV?
Comments
Rhonda said:
You are brilliant! It's not like you would be torturing him with it or chasing him around the house. Strategic placement is not a sin. ;)
Now I just need to figure out what my daughter is scared of so I can protect the TV, DVD, cable box, bathroom drawers, dog's butthole, etc. from her prying fingers.
Lanna Lee Maheux-Quinn
said:
So funny! When I was a toddler, I was scared of a toy pig that my parents gave me, so they put it at the bottom of the stairs to keep me from climbing them.
Look how I turned out!
(Love the live comment preview, that's cool!)
daniel said:
My cousin's kid just turned one. He got this little atv toy upon which he could sit, except for the fact that it scares the bejesus out of him. My cousin now puts it in front of the electrical outlet that was of interest to his son. So you are not alone in your aversion therapy.
cadiz12 said:
i think it's a great idea. until he gets over it, realizes he can climb onto it to reach higher things. then you're going to have to get a live orangutan to scare him.
but looking at the photo i can't understand how anyone, toddler or not, can sit there when the face part protrudes more than 1/2way into the seat area. i had a bigbird chair when i was little, but they made him face the side so people could actually use it for its function.
wendela said:
I agree. Good idea to keep him away from things! (temporarily)
I also noticed the face protruding too far. Also, too much white fabric. Who uses white fabric for a toddler's chair? Other than that, cute chair. Wait, maybe it was created as just a diversion and not supposed to be all that child-friendly. Hmm.
I said:
rhonda - I'm laughing at the image of a dog having one of these strapped to its back, as to keep a kid away from the dog's butt.
lanna - If I could find something smaller that he's afraid of, that's a great idea! We have the top of the staircase gated, but the bottom isn't baby gate friendly.
daniel - Good to know I'm not the only one.
cadiz and wendela - I too was concerned about the face of the horse, until I saw someone sit in it. The face folds down nicely when you lean against it, providing a nice back rest without taking up too much of the sitting area.
I also agree with the white fabric issue. I sometimes think that my kid is going to think his name is "Grubby" because of how often I say that's what he is. So if he ever used it, I wouldn't expect it to stay white for long.
X said:
In fairness, that is a damn scary-looking horse.
---X
jasmine said:
i think it looks kinda comfy. i'll use it. send it over!
Radioactive Hoss said:
No. Bad, bad idea. Seems to me like that's the kind of thing that will bite you in the butt.
Wait - no, the horse chair does that...
BWAHahahahahaha!
Becky said:
PERPETUALLY DIRTY PHILLIPS!
Lianne said:
How can this be comfortable if the horse's nose is in his back. It would bug me. OK, and scare me.
But I think you should put it by your desk.
Lia said:
Not wrong; just effective parenting.
However, I don't think I could bring myself to sit in that chair either. It gives me psychological creeps.
carrot jello said:
My friend had a little one that used to try and climb up to the top bunk, and always fell. They had this big black stuffed dog she was scared of, so I placed the dog on the top bunk, looking down the ladder. She never tried to climb up there again.
carrot jello said:
Oh, just to clarify, when I said "little one", I meant little girl, not little horse chair.
elasticwaistbandlady said:
Horses are happier moving about in herds. Why should horse chairs be any different.
Why do I have Ginuwines "Pony" song running through my head? Out! Out, you demonic earworm!
cadiz12 said:
good lord, now "pony" will be bobbing around in my head all night, too.
Syar said:
At first I thought you were gonna ask if it'd be wrong to use it as your personal footstool. Because it wouldn't be.
Neither is using it to keep him away from things.
This must stem from my evil-big-sister complex.