social engineering

There are a few books Nat likes. His taste is for action adventure -- for short novels with exaggerated plot curves and without introspection. Not yet 2, our son has his finger on the pulse of the current literary milieu. Career moves: freelance literary agent, or internship with Dial Press. Open question of whether ESA standards for child labor apply to infants in publishing.

At bedtime tonight I was trying to read him something a little too long for his taste. Then I picked up another one. It must have read to him like the kid equivalent of tax forms, or the Necronomicon or something. He kept throwing the books on the ground, then he squirmed out of my lap, lowered himself to crawl and bee-lined for the bedroom door. It was shut so I just watched him. First he reached for the handle, which he realized was out of reach.

He turned and sized up the crib, for whether he might climb it, then open the door. Then he looked to the footrest for the rocker, and the night stand. He came back and started pulling books from the night stand. But I wouldn't let him take the lamp down. For reasons that weren't clear (I think to distract me) he tried to pull the child-proof caps out of the electrical socket. Then he went back to unpiling books from the night stand.

Finally, realizing that he had a much easier option in sight, Nat held up his hand. I took it and walked him out of the room. Social engineering: some doors you open yourself; sometimes the best way around locked doors is to ask someone to open them.