Stairgate 2012

Last week, a scary thing happened. I got distracted for a few seconds and looked up… Kenton had opened a closed door and was gone. I jumped up and found him, literally, teetering off the top stair.

This top stair.

Of this staircase.

I caught him just in time.

Then, I squeezed him tight for a long time and bawled my eyes out. That was, to date, one of the scariest moments of my life. I still tear up just thinking about it.

Clearly, it was time for a major change in the Dream… the addition of a gate.

Young sir is certainly on the move…

Not only is he interested in climbing the stairs, he’s walking constantly now – but wasn’t allowed to in the upstairs hallway, because of the imposing death trap of the stairs…

We had been talking about adding a gate for a while, but the great scare – “Stairgate 2012” – was the last straw.

However, we had a problem.

We have an extra wide staircase – 5 feet wide – to be precise. So, that meant no average gate would do. We needed extra wide.

On top of that, we had a little issue with our bannisters…

They stick out just enough and are just short enough to block a simple gate installation. What these bannisters don’t realize is that I’m married to the handiest man on the planet… who devised the perfect plan to gate around these pesky beasts.

Sure, it’s not the prettiest thing in the world. But it is SAFE. And that’s what matters.

Little Mr (and his best friend) are now free to walk around upstairs without mom (or dad) having a panic attack…

The best part about the gate though, is the look of panic on the Bulldog’s face as he’s racing up the stairs and suddenly encounters an obstacle. Okay, that’s mean – but it is funny.

About Michelle Fortin

Michelle Fortin is a follower of Jesus, a wife and a mom. She's also an award winning broadcast journalist and public relations professional. Michelle spent nearly a decade working in television newsrooms across the country, both behind and in front of the camera. Training future broadcast journalists in her faculty associate roles at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and at Arizona Christian University was a cherished focus of her post-TV career. Today, she maintains a roster of public relations clients focused on empowering fellow “momprenuers.” She also serves as a speaker for various women's and mom's events. Michelle received her bachelor’s degree from Biola University and Master of Mass Communication (MMC) from Arizona State University. She and her husband, two young kids and English bulldog call Scottsdale, Arizona, home.

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