Quiet Time Counsel

There may come a day when you think, "Wow, this child has been really well behaved today. I think I can trust them to be downstairs, alone, during quiet time. I think I'll take a nap." If this thought comes, don't do it.

It will be a mistake.

At the end of quiet time you might feel refreshed. You'll happily retrieve your two other children (who were upstairs near you) from quiet time and ponder, "Hmmm, I wonder where their middle sibling is." You'll head downstairs in search of him.

A grinning, slightly hopping five-year-old will meet you. He'll happily tell you that he's been working on a project. Then you'll come into view of the kitchen table. And everything on it. And under it.

For the safety of all, this picture was taken after the clean-up had been mostly completed.

You'll take in the scene: closed containers of sugar, cornmeal, cinnamon, strawberry syrup, honey, and milk litter the table. An open bottle of olive oil sits next to a punctured apple juice box. Something sticky appears to have pooled under the table. Splotches of red powder dot the table, perhaps from the now-empty Jell-o boxes scattered about. And there is a small plastic container full of... something liquid.

At this point your gut reaction might be to yell and send the child to timeout while you walk around the kitchen and discover that half the dish soap is gone and a puddle of water has taken up residence in front of the sink.

Don't.

Instead, look at how pleased he is. Ask what he's been doing. Listen while he tells you that he's been trying to make cinnamon bread, but it isn't working the way he thought it would. Usher the other two (extremely curious) children away from the mess. Begin to remove those items which still possess a high mess factor.

Try to determine what's in his concoction.

Give up.

While you clean, explain that you know he loves to cook, but that it's an activity which requires mom or dad to be present. Help him understand that there will be no more surprise recipes. Send him to wash his hands after he proudly points out the empty egg shell in the trashcan. Correctly identify the under-the-table sticky substance as the contents of that egg shell.

Don't explode. You'll want to, but don't. You might marvel that you're keeping it together. Continue doing this, even when he excitedly tells you that he learned how to wash dishes. Don't worry, it will be a few hours before you discover that he loaded the dishwasher.

Once you think all the dangerous/extra-messy/full-of-disease ingredients have been cleaned up and the child's hands have been washed, herd all of the children upstairs. Wake up your still-napping husband to relate what just happened. Also, try to calm your rapidly beating heart.

Remember this the next time you think leaving the five-year-old on his own during quiet time is a good idea.