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ALmom
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| Posted: Dec 10 2008 at 11:49pm | IP Logged
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as I never seem to know what the boys are up to and it always seems to involve some sort of danger.
Evidently, boy (11) used rubber bands to launch paper airplanes. Boy (6) decides that is cool, but there has to be something more exciting to launch - like a weapon. He makes a target out of cardboard, sharpens a pencil and evidently has been firing pencils into the cardboard targets. It is tucked by his desk so I was totally unaware - and so was dh. That is until he managed to fire the pencil into his thumb while I was at a Confirmation class with ds 14 (dad was home with him, of course). Obviously rubber band fired, sharpened pencils are on the forbidden list. Thankfully no eyes were damaged, and other than having to pull out the pencil point with pliers (the sharpened point broke off in his thumb), and staunch the blood flow with cotton balls and clean the wound, no harm done.
We also just discovered the boys have been creating traps in the back yard - some pretty dangerous stuff like swinging logs and stuff. There are at least 3 tunnels(named after the tunnels in the Great Escape) and several (thankfully covered) holes out there as well. How do I miss this stuff. It isn't like I don't go out there with them. Obviously instructions are to dissasemble EVERYTHING in the back yard that could cause serious injury. It seems one of the boys fell into his own trap with the dog  . Again, thankfully no injuries to child or dog. Though I did wonder why the dog was suddenly not real keen on coming when this child called.
Oh, and the 20 ft high elevator (which relies on two pulleys that basically are not intended to be counted on to sustain life) which then swings around in midair as the boys try to climb from elevator to rope ladder in midair. I have not seen any of this, but just heard some stories about how the older boys tested this device out on the 9 yo. and how the 11 yo was trying to go from elevator to ladder and miscommunications resulted in him dangling for a while until older son could readjust. Supposedly they have a new design in place waiting for dad's safety inspection. I think I need to remind dh that the sooner he looks at it the better - and be sure to require a full demonstration of all steps and stages. (He'd approved the other version as they didn't happen to show him the transfer part of the operation.
Aren't you guys anxious to send your folks over to our house to play  . I think I know why the neighbors have been scarce lately. Am I the only mom who seems to be so dense. We seem to be in the put out fire mode as opposed to the stop it before it happens - but honestly, they come up with new schemes faster than we can bat an eye.
As my husband said, we really owe their guardian angels quite a bit! Our boys sure keep them busy.
Janet
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St. Ann
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| Posted: Dec 11 2008 at 9:05am | IP Logged
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OH my goodness!
I am sure thankful that I have girls 
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Stephanie
Wife and mother to Hannah '96, Maria '99, Dorothea '01, Helena '03
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KackyK
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| Posted: Dec 11 2008 at 9:30am | IP Logged
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Too funny (hahaha funny, and the oh my kind).
I have 4 boys. So far nothing too bad as the real trouble boy is the youngest one, 6. He ofcourse in the past 6 months has literally run up a tab on repairs to the house to the tune of over $400 (no joke!). The main ticket item being we had to replace the glass in his bedroom window when he broke it throwing a toy!!! UGH!
But everything you wrote, sounds exactly like what my boys would do, if they had such a cool backyard
I have a good friend who lurks around here sometimes who has 7 boys. She told me, many years ago in fact, that one of her motivations for keeping her house in organized, scheduled fashion is so in case of emergency anyone could come in and take over and run it. I thought she was crazy "planning" for an emergency, but now as my boys grow older, I see it too.
You aren't dense, you are a mom of boys! One who has to adapt daily almost as these boys adapt and learn more and more and explore more and more.
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KackyK
Mom to 8 - 3 dd, 5ds & 4 babes in heaven
Beginning With the Assumption
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Sarah M
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| Posted: Dec 11 2008 at 9:35am | IP Logged
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!!! Wow! My boy is only 3, but I can see these kinds of things in my future. Oh dear. You do have your hands full!!!
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KC in TX
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| Posted: Dec 11 2008 at 7:57pm | IP Logged
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I can't even imagine. I have one mild mannered boy.
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KC,
wife to Ben (10/94),
Mama to LB ('98)
Michaela ('01)
Emma ('03)
Jordan ('05)
And, my 2 angels, Rose ('08) and Mark ('09)
The Cabbage Patch
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Dec 11 2008 at 9:24pm | IP Logged
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Sarah, don't look to far to the future.. my oldest boy was caught in the rafters of the garage.. no ladder needed when he was 3. 
we recently lost one pane in our front door to a lacrosse ball 
I've had kids go head over handlebars off their bikes (gravel imbedded in the helmet.. and people think I'm unreasonable for requiring a properly fitting helmet whenever mine get on wheels  )
and there's the time that I looked out the window and saw my kids and the neighbor kids all on the roof of our shed 
2 yr olds at the top of very tall extension ladders
I'm very good at assuming a blase attitude and telling them to come down without getting excited.. I don't want to panic them and make me have to climb up after them
So far they've all made it and only a couple er visits for relatively minor wounds (for ones that need the er).. a few stitches here and there.
We'd be happy to come over to play Janet.. but I'm not sure you want the additional input on ways to barely avoid diasaster
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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Booksnbabes
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| Posted: Dec 11 2008 at 10:43pm | IP Logged
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I can't help it, but all I've been able to think while reading this thread is: "I wish I had their back yard! The elevator sounds awesome!" Oh, and I loved the part about the dog!
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Wife to wonderful DH, mom to SIX beautiful gifts from God!
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Erin
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| Posted: Dec 12 2008 at 1:21pm | IP Logged
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Janet
I'm afraid I didn't even blick an eye reading your list, just smiled and thought our boys would sure enjoy playing together.
The boys latest game involving paper and rubber bands was 'paper wasps'. This involves making numerous paper firing 'stingers' (production goes on for days) originally they were told to fire at targets as we (mum and dad) were concerned for their eyes as it is possible to lose eyesight. A few days later I look out into the yard to see them running around the yard firing at each other. The sight was hilarious really as they were wearing swimming goggles to protect their eyes. They do listen to our safety talks. However after a couple of boys ended in tears as the stingers hurt when making contact with skin I called a halt.
Truly after living with my five brothers I am surprised at nothing. Thankfully when my boys listen to their uncles relate their escapeds they laugh, shake their heads and say 'so dangerous.'
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
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ALmom
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| Posted: Dec 15 2008 at 3:34pm | IP Logged
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Erin and Jodie and Booksnbabes:
We do have a great back yard. Come on over!
It is nice to know others experience the same thing. Yes, I know they might egg each other on to things but doesn't sound like any of them would teach the others anything they haven't already tried. Let's see - if I wanted to add to my list there is plenty, I only included the things that had happened in the last week or so.
Mine have been on the roof, on the top of ladders - one even climbed up the fancy brickwork to the second floor as a means of getting away from the neighbor in a hide and seek game (and we live in limestone rocks on the upper part of a hill). He was sure she wouldn't follow - and she didn't. Luckily no injuries there - I only heard about it several months later at which time I assured them that I was happy to know that they could safely exit our house in a fire emergency but unless it was the only way out of the house in an emergency, it was not to be tried again.
OH, and we've had dart guns - these were made from straws and toothpicks and then when I started monitoring the toothpicks, they carved the wooden chopsticks to a point and shot them out of plastic tubing (kind you get for plumbing work). They have made very efficient bows and arrows as well and metal swords - to say nothing of the backyard chemical experiments (my chemistry fan should be a consultant for the military).
They wear goggles for all war games and such - and are good about it. The 6 yo didn't understood why the goggles were not sufficient for burning plastic with the soldering iron he got into. Oh his front tooth is finally coming in where he killed a baby tooth at 4 - trying to push sibling out of an unapproved swing waaay up from a tree over the rocks (higher than the roof). His whole side of the face was hugely swollen and it was tought to be walking around in places where we weren't known. Luckily he is the talkative member of the family and is the first to tell the ER nurses all about his escapades with his brothers. He generally has everyone in stitches.
Oh and we have had the launch over the bike from our driveway into the neighbors driveway - over the wall. The 6 yo ended up on his head in the lower driveway with his bike in the upper driveway and both myself and the neighbor petrified. Yes, helmets are totally non-negotiable. We've also had bike crashes and bike races where the boys have clocked themselves going "over the speed limit" for cars and wanting to know if they'd get a ticket for speeding on a bike  .
I'm sure I won't know half of what has happened until they are grown and raising children of their own. So far we've only had 4 ER visits (2 different children) and 1 not even relatated to boys escapades. The most dangerous things never seem to result in injuries. It is the falling out of the kitchen chair that breaks the arm.
There are the sofa cushions that work like sleds down the banisters and ....
We've had 2 scratched corneas (prior to the goggles rule), 2 broken bones, 2 sets of stithes, a dead tooth, a burn and numerous scrapes and bumps. The sisters where the boys serve (every month to every other month) ask us on a regular basis what the new excitement for the month is and there is inevitably something. Now I think the boys are trying to outdo themselves to impress the sisters.
Oh, the boys started talking about creating a priest hole to connect to the tunnel (after our read-aloud Outlaws of Ravenhurst). My dh reminded me to make sure the boys knew not to do any actual construction - and watch out that the 6 yo doesn't find the hammer. At 2 he practically unscrewed a door and took it off the hinges in order to get into the room where his brothers were (he hadn't managed to build a way up to the top hinges before I happened to come on the scene or one of his brothers got wind of something and was repairing the door.
Life is certainly never dull. I am reassured that I am not alone. I maintain a very calm exterior - you just have to go with the flow and get the attention to come down, cease and desist or whatever. Excitement would cause the injury you are just about to witness, calmness generally means it is avoided as a near miss or at least without permanent injury.
Janet
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Thanks be for guardian angels
