This here is a small fry who does not believe in the concept of being too little for anything. If he can imagine it, he will attempt it and will usually succeed in at whatever daredevilry he puts his mind to. I used to be at odds with myself, and with him, over whether or not I should allow him to do half the things he does on playgrounds, stairwells, and even (yes) on ladders. But I eventually grew tired of the daily struggle to keep him away from the things he was naturally drawn to. So I let him explore at his (seemingly) own risk. I expected a few falls, maybe some little I-told-you-so sort of moments riddled with hugs and boo-boo kissing. And then he kept on surprising me with his crazy good climbing and problem solving skills. He could not only climb up, but scoot on back down without and bodily harm. He has really never needed me to intervene on behalf of his safety when it comes to that sort of thing. He climbs up, and then he climbs down. Period. I lurk nearby, ready to catch him if he tumbles, but I make sure to stay just far enough away so that he feels the glory of freedom that every natural born thrill seeker craves. And, oh man you should see this sucker run down hills. Big hills. The kind of hills that, when snow covered, give you that, "Ummm...should I really be doing this?" feeling before you go whizzing down on a sled. He can run down, straight down, and fast without falling down. You should see the other parents faces as they watch me let it happen. His tiny little body just trucking downhill while me and Angus just laugh and laugh.
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