You remember when you would apply for student loans in college and they essentially made you sign your life away? You had to read through all of this material about how you would be responsible for paying it all back upon graduation? You “read” through all of it by skimming and you took it all with a grain of salt because it was so far in the future? You didn’t have to worry about that now, you had plenty of time!
And then the time comes, and you have to start worrying about it. And it’s not fun.
You know what else this happens with? Doors. Yes, doors. When you went through the home buying process and you were pointing out all the things that you loved about the different houses, did you ever check out the doors and think about what they were going to mean in the future?
Of course you didn’t. Why would you?
But I’ll tell you exactly what they mean. They mean smashed fingers when your baby learns that he can shut them on his own. They mean that when you’re getting ready for a dinner party and your house is spotless, little hands will open up the linen closet and haul out every towel, sheet and washcloth you own. Furthermore, they mean that when your little one grows tall enough to reach the handles of your back French doors, you will find said child running around the backyard without any supervision.
You didn’t see a warning label or legal guidelines with all that, now did you? Neither did I. I never even gave them a separate thought. If I had gone into the home buying process with a child safety/baby proofing lens, would that have changed my mind on the purchase? No. It’s quite unheard of to buy a house with no doors, now isn’t it? But I’ll tell you what, I would have definitely thought ahead of time as to ways to protect my little explorer and my home.
If I could go back and talk to the pre-child me, I would guide her to place an early order of Door Finger Pinch Child Safety Guards. If I had those on the sides of my doors earlier, I would have saved many tears from happening. I would also instruct her to purchase Door Knob Covers for all of the bedrooms, bathroom and that well-stocked linen closet. Lastly, I would insist that she order the Door Handle Lock for the back door. Pre-child me had no idea how terrifying it is to look outside and see your child running around when you thought he was playing in the other room. Nothing in me wants to experience that again.
Now that my house is in a better place for my little man (thank you Jool Baby!), and I have fully warned pre-child me of the dangers of the doors in the house, maybe I should find a way to remind her that student loan payments are coming sooner than she thinks. So put down that designer purse dear! Target handbags are more within your budget.