Locked Out by a Toddler

~2016. The backyard.

I was on the back porch starting the barbecue. Dylan — about two years old — locked the sliding door. He could reach up and pull the lock down. He did not have the concept of pushing it back up.

I had no phone, no keys, no wallet, no shoes. The garage was locked. The spare key wasn’t where it was supposed to be. I could see Dylan through the glass, content with his situation.

I didn’t want to leave a two-year-old alone in the house. I tried pushing the sliding windows. No luck. I tried a rock on one of the windows a couple of times, but they were tougher than expected. The dog door was locked.

The front door is old solid wood French doors. I slammed myself against them a couple of times and they popped open — the latch in the middle gave, along with some of the trim.

Dylan looked up when I came in. He seemed pleased to see me.

Now that we’ve repaired the door, it’s probably harder to break than before. I have mixed feelings about this.