What’s out there?

By Whitney

by Whitney

My 4-year old, Julian, wants to open the front door after dark. We don’t know why.

My husband and I will be sitting at the dinner table while the kids, who have already eaten, are playing in the living room. All of a sudden, we hear the front door open. Luckily, it is a thick weatherproofed door that makes an audible suction-y noise.

“What are you doing?” I call out (in my Mom voice).

“I just want to see what’s out there.”

Um, what’s out there? The same thing that’s out there in broad daylight, right? A busy street, cars, people on bikes, grandmas pushing strollers, 40-somethings walking dogs. Or maybe something worse.

Sometimes the natural curiosity of a 4-year old is totally exasperating. He has repeated this behavior for the past three nights. Perhaps he feels empowered by the ability to open the door by himself. Or maybe he thinks if he opens the door, he will find an unexpected visiting friend.

I really don’t want to put a chain lock on the door, but I also don’t want to worry that my son is leaving the house without my knowledge. I’ve heard too many scary stories. Did you see this one about a sleepwalking 4-year old .

What can we tell Julian to keep him safe without scaring him?