Just Because There's No Smoke...

Monday, September 29, 2008

My son almost set our house on fire two weeks ago. I light candles all the time. I love the glow and the smell. Drama Kid has never shown an interest in fire, not even as an infant, so having lit candles all over the house has never been a concern for me.

He was in the powder room supposedly washing his feet. He hates shoes and always plays outside barefoot. I was in the kitchen making dinner and heard him make a strange noise. I ask "what are you doing?" and of course I get no response.


My Spidey Sense went on alert and when I walked into the bathroom, I saw the sword from one of his Ninja Turtles on the counter. Melted. I figure he'd been holding it over the flame and nothing more. I yelled and he got a spanking (he didn't cry, I must be losing my touch) and I sent him to his room.

Something made me go back into the bathroom and that's when I saw the trashcan start to flame. I call him back upstairs and ask again, "what were you doing?" He was lighting the toilet paper on fire! One of the pieces caught and he dropped it in the trash when it singed his fingertip.

I stood over the flaming trashcan yelling at him about how dangerous and stupid that was and how could have burned not just our house but our two neighbors' as well. In hindsight I guess I should have put the flames out first but hopefully they added to the drama and he's learned his lesson.

I almost went to get my camera so I could post a picture but changed my mind. My husband says all boys get into trouble playing with fire. How about your kids? Any near misses?

15 comments:

  1. Not with my son, but my husband did something like that as a kid. He had some sort of coal that he lit on fire in the bathroom sink. He put it out with a hand towel, but it burned the towel and he thought he'd get in trouble. So he folded up the towel, shoved it back in the closet, and promptly forgot about it. And hour later there was smoke pouring out of the closet ... the fire dept. was called ... lots of damage to the bathroom.

    And hubby grew up to be a fireman. LOL

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  2. Of course! But, after catching him lighting paper on fire in his room I decided to let him "play" with fire on my terms. So, for about a month, I would let him light something on fire after school. Mostly his graded homework. This ended his "must light something on fire" thoughts and I didn't have to worry about him burning down the house.

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  3. Yes--and your son is just the right age.

    This is what I did--I took him to the fire station, explained he wasn't listening to his mom about not playing with fire, and left him there alone while they talked to him. It worked like a charm.

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  4. Wow. Jenn's idea is brilliant.

    My kids aren't into the fire yet, but Toots is in the cutting everything with scissors stage, so I expect fire starting isn't too far behind.

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  5. Good idea Jenn. That night at bedtime he was very sad about it. We're close with our neighbors and I think my explaining that our friends could have lost everything in their homes really scared him.

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  6. I don't have boys, but there have been other near misses (ie: getting separated while shopping, etc.) I don't know all the answers on how to correct them, but what I do know is that we have to love them through it.

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  7. Nothing like that yet, but my son is only 7. Still got a few years to cause trouble before he moves out lol.

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  8. When the Chicken was in 2nd grade she decided she also would play with a lit candle in the bathroom. She lit some toilet paper on fire and then it got out of hand. She ended up melting the trash can and getting the rug in front of the toilet all sooty. I didn't realize what had happened until I went into the bathroom and saw the mess. She claimed it was tissues and she got too close, after emptying the trash can we found the TP. She broke down and said how sorry she was. She was put on Solitary Confinement in her room for spring break. (She is a talker and loves interaction) We haven't had an incident since. Hubby says all kids are attracted to fire, but I never had this problem with Giggles.

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  9. When the Chicken was in 2nd grade she decided she also would play with a lit candle in the bathroom. She lit some toilet paper on fire and then it got out of hand. She ended up melting the trash can and getting the rug in front of the toilet all sooty. I didn't realize what had happened until I went into the bathroom and saw the mess. She claimed it was tissues and she got too close, after emptying the trash can we found the TP. She broke down and said how sorry she was. She was put on Solitary Confinement in her room for spring break. (She is a talker and loves interaction) We haven't had an incident since. Hubby says all kids are attracted to fire, but I never had this problem with Giggles.

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  10. Oh so sorry to tell you this, but it only gets worse. Boys like to play with fire - hence firecrackers if you live in a state that they aren't outlawed - and they also like to blow stuff up. Destroy your old couch that you put out for garbage pickup. In science class they taught my son how to make a potato gun that shoots potatos out accross the lawn at unsuspecting garbage can targets or sisters or something. Thanks Mr. Science. Yeah, it only gets worse. Suit up, your time is coming. Buy an extinguisher.

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  11. I think ever since man discovered fire,they've been completely obsessed with it. At least you handled it well. I'm sure he'll do it again. They can't help themselves...wait till he discovers firecrackers!

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  12. Wow! Thank goodness your spidey senses went off. That must have been so scary. We don't light a lot of candles because of our cats, but who knows if my kids would think this would be a fun idea. Hopefully not, but you never know.

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  13. Yikes.

    And yes. I'll keep the fire station idea in my back pocket.

    Since, I keep forgetting to ask you by email, WHO is T's teacher tis year?

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  14. Wow - thank goodness no, despite the thousands of candles around the house. Perhaps the pyro-genes burned out with me? I was a huge pyromaniac as a kid, but fortunately did it all outside - um until my mom caught me and impressed upon me the UTTER STUPIDITY of what we were doing. oops.

    Nice job on the spidey senses!

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