Sometimes when we go to the park and Ishu is off-leash…er…I mean out of the stroller, he lingers at the gate here.

He’ll open it a crack, I’ll squeeze my way through, he’ll walk over to the other side to join me, and then pull it closed.

And, I naively start walking toward the stairs as if we are done with the gate.

But, no.

He’ll stand there. Opening the gate, stepping through to the other side, and then closing it, watching closely as the metal clangs on metal.

I’ve tried to understand the obsession and I think it’s simply because it’s accessible for him.

It’s a door his size. HIS SIZE. We have a latch on our apartment door, so every time he wants to go through that door, he’s (thankfully) gotta wait for one of us to open the door for him. Actually, he’s dependent on us to get through all the doors in our apartment right now. And, well, this “door” is probably pretty dang exciting because he can be the gatekeeper. He can let people in. He can let people out.

It’s why things like the toddler tower exist. And step stools to make our kids more independent while using the bathroom sink.

Our little ones want to be independent. They want to do what we do.

So, as much as I want to rush through the gate and hurry along to the actual playground part of the park, I embrace the lingering.

It’s a door his size.

And, well, I can see the excitement.

Question of the Day:

What is your toddler currently obsessed with?