Warning: Kids and Electricity

This week I had the scare of my life.

I was left with my heart racing faster than I've ever experienced.

And thankfully my little man Zander's was still beating.

My other two children were never overly adventurous.  Sure they flicked a switch every now and then, but with the plastic covers on, I wasn't too concerned.

But Zander, this little boy is different.  He is testing everything I knew about how to be a good Mother.

I was in the office (which is like a second living area) with the older two playing.  Assuming Zander was in front of the TV in the next room or in his bedroom, I didn't give it a second thought.

We can't be in the same room as all our children all day long.

Now that Zander can open and close doors, he went into the bathroom, grabbed the step (which the older children use to reach the tap) and carried it into the kitchen.  He used it to stand up and reach the kitchen bench.

The toaster was within reach.

Honestly I am not even sure what he did.  He did not have anything in his hands when I got to him. We are very very lucky.  There were knives and more sitting on the bench.

As I played unaware with the kids in the other room the power went out, simultaneously I heard Zander scream and I knew.

I knew there was a relationship between the power outage and the scream and whilst I moved faster than I have before, my stomach sank and my heart raced.

He is alright.  I checked him again.  He is alright.

He cried for a few minutes, I cried too.

Then I called his dad to tell him what had happened.  Zander wanted to tell him what had happened.

 Here you can see where he got zapped.  

It's left a hard white burn to his skin.

"Toaster hurt my finger"  as he spoke those words his bottom lip quivered.  Usually the most confident of kids had literally got the shock of his life.  He was scared.

Why am I telling you this?

Because I got complacent. He is not like my other two children.  But that said they didn't have as many influences as he did.  And whilst they are not encouraging him to mischief, he wants to do so much.  I need to spend more time with him, ensuring his safety.  

I need to remember he is only two, although he is confident, can speak well, he is only two, he is going to do 2 year old things, make 2 year old decisions.  It's my job to ensure he is safe.

Take a moment to check your homes safety, visit Child Safety Australia they will give you loads of reminders of the things you need to consider when it comes to kids and electricity safety.

Cheers

Mandy