Grandma's stairs

The stairs at my parents' house are steep and have very narrow treads.  They would make a mountain goat feel at home but for us humans, with our feet instead of hooves and lacking the innate sense of balance these animals are born with, these stairs can be very intimidating.

At the top of the stairs is a small landing.  This landing, as it sits at the top of such a dangerous precipice, has a gate barring entrance to the thrill ride at my parents' house called the stairs.  Normally this gate is closed.  Latched and only able to open if an adult is there to act as a gatekeeper, ensuring that those who are admitted to this ride can follow all of the safety rules set forth by the establishment.

At 2 years old, Katie was not tall enough or mature enough to meet all of the safety requirements for climbing Grandma's stairs so when we were visiting a gatekeeper would be put in place.  Well, normally a gatekeeper would be in place.

During one afternoon visit  at my parent's house there were a large number of people present, and someone forgot to tend their position as gatekeeper.  This is a dangerous situation when a very determined and observant little girl is around.  For some reason Katie was determined to go down the stairs.  She didn't really need anything from downstairs.  Everyone was up in the living room, her sippy-cup was full so she didn't need a drink from the kitchen, there was a plate of snacks for her if she was hungry.  Just the mere existence of those stairs called to her, a challenge that needed to be tackled.

After several thwarted attempts to sneak past the gate while a gatekeeper was on duty Katie kept a diligent eye on the position.  Finally she saw that someone had abandoned their post.  With the burst of speed only a determined toddler can muster she ran to answer the call of adventure those stairs offered up.

We noticed the abandoned gatekeeper post just moments after Katie had.  Seeing that this little thrill seeker was headed to the stairs Dave (my husband) set off at a dead run, attempting to at least match the speed Katie's chubby little legs could move.  And he almost did.  With a fearless dive he managed to get a hold of a chubby little hand just as her feet slipped off the first step.

Katie found herself hanging by her arm, lying belly first near the top of the stairs.  Held captive by her dad, who was still clutching that little hand.  Katie let out a cry of fear and frustration.  She just wanted to go downstairs!  Grabbing her up and making sure she was fine we carted her down to the kitchen then went back to check on Dave who's body did not adapt as well to such a dive as it had when he was younger.  Slowly he pulled himself up off the floor, bruised and sore from his heroic save.

A few days later the kids and I were visiting Grandma and Katie heard the siren song of the stairs once again.  This time from the bottom.  There is a gate near the bottom of the stairs, but because of the way the walls are built the first two steps are available for the kids to climb on.  And climb she did.

Now, remember, she is a kid but not of the mountain goat variety.  Like the rest of humanity she lacks the innate mountain climbing abilities of said goats.  One unsure step and she found herself thrown from the side of the steps, falling the great distance (about 14") to the ground.  Upon landing she let out a shriek that echoed through the world, cursing the stairs for their existence.

These two experiences had a great impact on Katie.  She saw these stairs as the sole reason pain and injury exist in the world today.  For the next year, if someone was hurt she insisted that it must have happened on Grandma's stairs.  Erik got a bruise on his legs learning to ride his bike???  It happened on Grandma's stairs.  Dad's hip was stiff and he had a little limp?  Again, Grandma's stairs.  Mom has a scratch on her arm that she 'claims' happened at work.  Did Katie believe that?  Nope.  You guessed it, happened on Grandma's stairs.

It took a LONG time before she felt confident enough to climb up and down those stairs alone, but I don't think she has ever lost the deep seated fear she has for those narrow, steep, dark, scary stairs.