Well, we’ve had a locked-out experience with Cassie before, when she dropped the keys down the elevator shaft. But we had a locked-in situation this week. It always happens so innocently though. She just wanted to change clothes without having anyone watch her, of course its ok for her to go in the bathroom. I really didn’t know that she knew how to close the little latch. (You know the ones, they are always on bathroom stalls in public washrooms, just a little metal stick that you push into the doorframe.)
So when she tried to open the door and it didn’t budge, I had no idea how it got locked. It didn’t take long for the fear to rise up within her… So after a few failed attempts we told her it would be ok. Of course, we were hoping “ok” didn’t mean breaking down the door. Our little bathroom has no windows, just brick walls, we can’t screw or detach the hinges in any way. So if she can’t open the lock, the door is coming down!
It’s one of those times as a parent, I just don’t know what to do. I know she can unlock it, after all, she did lock it herself. But she is in too much of a mess at the moment. Better yet, I realize there has got to be a learning opportunity for us here, turns out, it was a really good reminder me. After a few minutes, I said, “Cassie, we should pray.” So we prayed to Jesus, asking him for wisdom, strength and confidence and reminding both him and us that we trust him. A moment later, Ang suggests getting the stool by the tub, which gives Cassie the height and leverage needed to open the lock. And you know what, this time we remembered to immediately thank Jesus for answering our prayer.
Teaching Adventures 