Restraining order

I recently let my kids, age 5 and 3, loose in my workshop in the basement. Don’t worry, I don’t give them access to soldering irons or bleach, but other than that, I try to have a as much of a hands-off approach as possible. Every now and then I have to leap into action, because they do have a knack of finding something they could hurt themselves with or something I’d rather not have them break. Watching them abuse my tools is an exercise in self control, let me tell you. But I have the feeling that we’re laying some important groundwork here.

I’m seriously considering creating a little work bench for themselves. So far, their creations mostly consist of a plethora of things, from old circuit boards over cords and springs to wooden slats, bound together by rolls and rolls of sticky tape, but it’s fun to watch them think and experiment. I remember that helping my dad actually build or fix something around the house was the greatest feeling for me as a kid. Although, in hindsight, I am sure that the word “helping” should probably be put into quotes.

Anyway, today’s strip reminded me of my own toolbox, which is now in a slightly different “order” than it was previously, haha! Although I don’t think a restraining order would work in my case.