The Advantage of Hopeless Situations

*Elevators/lifts in Russian multistory houses are quite narrow.

Our son was born in winter. Preparing for it, we bought the pram – a spacious one, with a big cradle for the baby to feel comfortable in it in 20 winter pieces of clothes and warm blankets. What we did not thought about then was the elevator in our 9-storey house. Our pram turned out to fit it only when the doors of the elevator were pushed to the sides with one’s hands . One had to be a magician-acrobat-bodybuilder to ride the pram into the elevator at the same time pushing the doors to the sides and not waking up the baby.

At that time we were new, not-experienced and not very witty parents. Thus, the problem was solved in a very simple way – Arseny had to walk at the balcony, that’s it (at least, it was easier for the mummy ).

But time passed. The sun started to warm up our balcony on the southern side of the house. By the middle of May there was the atmosphere of a Finnish sauna there. The issue “pram-elevator” appeared again. But once again we solved it in a simple way: we bought another pram – light and narrow. I should mention at this point that both the prams were bought for not very much money and they were second-hand. I think because of it we avoided too much of “brain work” dealing with this issue. It seemed the problem was solved once and for ever.

However… autumn came and the cold came together with it. Our grown 9-months-old son fitted the summer pram with much difficulty in his winter accoutrements. Here it is – the desperate situation: we were not going to buy a third pram! And the “balcony” did not work, either: the child had grown and needed new impressions… What to do?

The solution turned out to be very simple – the CROSSPIECE!

Something that can substitute hands when you are entering the elevator. When I had realized how many unnecessary movements we had made – a trip for the summer pram, its search in the Internet before, and earlier – “walking” with the baby on the balcony and my many-months staying at home without fresh air and almost in isolation…

Here it is – the ADVANTAGE OF HOPELESS SITUATIONS – next time (I hope), before to agree to a compromise settlement, I will try to use my brains to their full capacity. I am sure there will be some other, simpler, better and cheaper, solution.

Natalie

Illustrations to the Article

Photos by the author

To view this article in Russian, please, visit here.

Next time you will learn how to make drawing an absorbing activity for a one-year-old baby…