Mama, Open Door!

As a mom, you always prepare for the worst. Children, especially toddlers, have an uncanny ability to put themselves in danger and you need to be ready to respond at any given minute. Fortunately, mothers have been blessed with an instinct that prompts us to move and react before an accident happens. But sometimes, even with our sharp intuition and quick reflexes, they still get into trouble.

Rei has kept us on our toes ever since she learned how to stand on her own. Getting into trouble seems to be her expertise. She's not a naughty kid, just a really active one. If there's a chair to climb or a steep edge to jump off of, expect her to do just that. Even though I've prevented a lot of mishaps from happening in the past, no one (not even myself) could have anticipated what had happened today.

What happened? Rei had locked herself alone in a room at her Tita's house.

Backstory

My daughter adores her Tita Tin and she always goes over to their house to play. She especially loves going into their spare room to discover new things and find "toys" to play with. This afternoon, she discovered the water sprayer. In an effort to distract her from getting all the sheets and furniture wet, her Tita had asked her if she wanted to go home and show me her new discovery. Instead of responding positively, she decided to close the door and lock herself in.

She's been doing the "close door" thing several times these past few weeks, but she never really learned how to use the lock... until today.

The Rescue

Kuya Rene, my brother-in-law, came over to our place (we just live next door) to tell me what had happened, and I was very calm and collected as I went over to their apartment. My sister had tried several keys to open the door, but it was no use. The key to that room cannot be found. I tried coaching Rei to turn the knob and open the door, but she thought that I was there to end her play time and didn't want to cooperate. I negotiated with my two-year-old as my sister and brother-in-law thought of different ways to open the door. Still nothing. We were running out of ideas and the only logical thing left to do was to break the door open.

Rei knew something wasn't right because it has taken a very long time for Mama to open the door and take her home. With a little panic in her voice, she started to cry out for help. I didn't know what to do. I talked to her and tried explaining the situation, but how well can a two-year-old understand the predicament she was in?

"Mama! Open door! I scared." Her voice was getting louder and she was screaming and crying at the same time.

"Rei-chan, Mama is here." I repeated over and over again. I stood there, reassuring her that I heard her cries. I felt so helpless and it took all of my energy not to breakdown and cry. I knew she'd get more upset if she heard me crying, so I toughed it out.

I never doubted that we'll be able to get her out, I just didn't know how long it would take. I could hear her getting more upset as each minute passed. Her cries grew louder and louder as Kuya Rene pounded the door with a hammer. Nothing. The door wouldn't budge. Kicking the door open would have been the first option, but we didn't know where Rei was standing and she could easily be knocked over if the door swings open.

"Open door Mama! Open door!"

We were desperate. A lot of damage has been done on the door, but the panel was still too thick. Kuya Rene finally decided to give it a strong push. I told Rei to stand as far away as she could from the door. One, two, or maybe three pushes, I cannot exactly remember, and the door finally gave way.

The physical reminder of today's trauma.

I walked in and I saw my daughter sitting on the corner behind the door. She was drenched in sweat and tears covered her face. Pieces of wood were all over her and she was still crying hysterically. I grabbed her as fast as I could and held her in my arms. That was the moment my tears fell. 

"I'm sorry baby, I'm sorry." Those were the only words I could say. I felt so bad because I couldn't get to her fast enough. I held her really tight - not just to comfort her, but because I needed it as well. 

The Aftermath

I was getting Rei ready for bed and I asked her if she's okay after what had happened today. She seemed to have recovered from the trauma of being locked in, but I haven't. We talked about it and she recounted the incident using the limited vocabulary she knew. 

"Mama knock door, baby crying. Tito... hammer, hammer. Very hard." She repeated over and over again. I held her in my arms as she quietly settled down for sleep. 

Just before asking for "dede" and finally closing her eyes, my sweet mischievous daughter said, "You find me." I choked up in tears. "Yes baby, Mama found you." I replied.

I'm writing this post with a mixture of overwhelming emotions. The horror of today's experience has left me tired and emotionally exhausted. I know I'll be fine after a good night's sleep and all will be back to normal in the morning (except for that broken door). But if there's anything I want to remember from our experience today, it's the confidence in my daughter's voice when she said, "You find me." And I will. Always. That's a promise.