Locked-in by a 2-year old

3rd Feb 2019

To look back, it may become a funny memory or a embarrassing one...but today, for the momemt when i realized what had just happpened...i was actually frightened. Not for myself but for the little one standing outside the door..unaware of the various probabillities.

So, i live close by to my sister and it was my play day with my nephew. I had heard such stories and have been warned that dont teach kids how to lock doors etc. until they are little older. But we humans learn by our own mistakes right, so I have also, in critical situations, used doors and locks at times as items of distraction or innovative playing options. And finally paid the price of such impromptu decisions today.

In the middle of a role play game, i felt the need to use the loo and told my nephew to please wait and that mausi will be back in 2 mins. But he followed me and pushed the door open in fun. So, i locked it from the inside and quickly went on with my business.  I am not sure what went through his mind, if  he thought it was part of the game and that i need to be locked up or quite possibly, he just wanted to explore the latch n locked it in his innocent curiosity.

He kept talking n I kept replying. Then when i quickly wanted to open the door n get back to my game...it took me few looks at the inner latch to realize that i did open it, still door is not opening. Then within next few seconds, after getting flashes of my infinite future in that small room, imagining trying to shout from the bathroom window trying to get attention of some neighbors, then realizing that my side of neighbouring building has no living beings. Scolding myself for not carrying my phone to the bathroom. Then realizing that even if call someone, they would neef to break open the gates as all entries to my house are bolted from inside and have metal cage in balcony. I finally came back to my senses and realized my nephew was still talking non stop that means he is still waiting for me to say something back. I felt relieved and tried to pursuade him to open the latch. But how do you explain a two, almost going to be three year old, what a latch (chitkani, as we call in hindi) is? With the small hole that was present just near the latch, for a reason unknown to me, as it was there when i rented the house, I tried pointing to him that open this thing. Pull it back or in opp direction of whatever he did. But again, the kiddo wont know what "opposite" is right. Finally, i tried blackmailing him that i will stay inside only and he wont be able  to continue the game. Alas...as if that could ever work. He also gave up and said you only open the door. Then i could hear him playing with other things far away from door. 

At last after few minutes being locked, the responsible person awakened (better way of saying, i had no other option left), i started pulling the door towards me with jerks, and given the weak plastic nature of door, after 4-5 good pulls, the latch screws came out and i was relieved to come out of that room and come face to face to a mischievously (or maybe not), but a  smiling   nephew. 

First thing i did was to hug him tightly and then trying to be the adult, asked him does he know what he did. He had locked mausi inside and that he would be all alone if i could not come out. Had to tell him that he could get scolding for this, but thinking in my head that it would be me who would get scolding really for locking the door in the first place. After few such lecturing statements...he finally made his  serious face and probably got scared, thinking of his father's scolding may be. So to change the temperature of the room, I distracted him with his favorite game of imitating aminal howls n barks. Within 15-20 minutes, he was tired and wanted to sleep.

All in all, it was a scary experience and in  probably few minutes, I got a learning lesson and added this to my list of "what not to do" when you are around young curious minds. Never under estimate the possibility of the unknown.