Stuck

Tape.

Lately it has been the bane of my existence. What is it about kids and tape? Not just for securing paper to paper anymore, I am finding this stuff on every surface imaginable! Recently Max taped a line of coins onto the table, using at least one piece of tape per coin, plus a long strip covering the whole mess. You can imagine how long that one took us to clean up. Another favorite spot is the rug. That one started when we measured how far they could jump from the couch, marking their distance with a piece of tape. It has blossomed into something completely different since then. I am constantly picking tape off our hard floors, Audrey's high chair, seat backs, books, windows... just when I think I've hidden the tape dispensers all out of reach, they find another.

On very special occasions, they root out the duct tape, and oh boy do we have fun then! Trying to clean that gray goop off of anything is almost as bad as trying to clean the remains of a sticker off of a washed-and-dried t-shirt. (Yes, I just did that recently. I was successful, but I may have permanently damaged my brain in the process)

The latest "Tape-Aspenser" adventure happened when Lucian attempted to block off both entrances to the kitchen with Scotch Tape. After a few fruitless attempts, he decided to move a chair into the doorway and cover it with tape, stringing pieces from the door frame to the chair. Audrey even joined in the fun! And I was left with a mess of a chair that sat in our entryway for almost a week because I couldn't bear the thought of all that picking and peeling.

The thing is, though, I watched him do it. He was so intent and engaged, I couldn't bear myself to make him stop, even though I knew what my future held if I let him continue. But I am in the process of making some rules about proper tape usage (i.e. "A roll of tape is not a single-use item" and "If you cover your toy in sixteen layers of tape, it is not my responsibility to set it free"). Hopefully I'll figure out a balance between letting Lucian have his fun and letting me keep my sanity. I do not like finding my cupboards taped shut when I go to make dinner. Spoons are much more difficult to use (and wash) when they are taped to forks or knives. Tape hurts when it is being peeled out of one's hair. But if he wants to spend an hour covering a folding chair in Scotch tape, more power to him.