Monsters in the basement...

This fall when the weather cooled off and the days got shorter we (Joe & I) realized that our family of 5 was going to have some serious cabin fever in our small ranch style home this winter! Our solution = make part of the basement a play area. Somewhere for the kids to run around and wear off energy! We even brought in the large outdoor toys. Slides. See Saw. Tricylces. Perfect!

Or so we thought. One small problem. Isaiah is afraid of the basement. More accurately he is afraid of being alone in the basement. And well we like to send him there to run off (excess) energy and to be as loud as he desires. Therefore we don’t necessarily want to be down there with him:) Charlotte on the other hand has no fear of the basement. Problem solved. Charlotte accompanies Isaiah to the basement and “helps him be brave”.

One day Charlotte was reluctant to chaperone Isaiah in the basement. She was having fun playing dollhouse. Totally understandable. Big brother was not so understanding. So he tells her there are monsters in the house and the only safe place is the basement. And just like that he has a very cooperative chaperone!

Fast forward a few days. Isaiah again wants to go to the basement but needs Charlotte. She obliges. Once in the basement she gets bored. She yells “monsters in the basement” and flees. Leaving Isaiah stranded. He was not pleased. Since then it has been difficult for him to convince Charlotte there are no monsters in the basement.

His plan totally backfired. Oops.