my door dilemma

Macy figured out, this week, how to twist and pull simultaneously. Not an easy feat, mind you. So now she opens and closes doors for the fun of it and is taking tremendous advantage of her new-found freedom.

After all, when she's done with her nap she can just get out of bed and join the world of the waking. Gone are the days when mom has a good ten to fifteen minutes before she's forced to find a stopping place in her homework and come open the door to her room. And then there's mom and dad's bathroom. Up until now it has been forbidden territory with the door always closed. Now, as long as she waits until mom and dad are occupied, she can always sneak away and eat at least a third a tube of toothpaste before being discovered.

"Andrea, just get some of those child-proof doorknob covers" you say? Simple enough, at least that's what I thought. Shortly after Macy's door-opening discovery I pulled out the ziploc bag of doorknob covers I've been saving for such a time as this. They were given as a shower present, I think. I carefully followed instructions, snapping them on five of the most 'dangerous' gateways into non-toddler-proofed space. And then I waited.

I could hear Macy in her bedroom rattling with the doorknob cover. I sat down with a smug smile, looking forward to a few minutes of uninterupted hot chocolate. I had barely slurped the mini marchmallows off the top before Macy came padding down the hallway and around the corner. With the palms of her hands facing up she shrugged her little shoulders, flashed a huge grin and said, "did it!" Shortly thereafter all the doorknob covers were scattered around the floor of the house, snapped in two.

So, childproof (and I use that term loosly) doorknob covers don't work in our house. The people who design those things should be locked up in a room full of toddlers with all their favorite breakables protected by their own useless inventions. Anybody have any suggestions?