by Jeff Axelrod

Created on: April 16, 2008

Let's call it the Law of Human Territorial Expansion:

"The size of a person's surroundings grows in direct proportion to his or her ability to handle those surroundings."

A small child will start off in a playpen, then learn to climb out. At that point, playpens give way to play rooms and backyards.

As kids' games get more complex and their legs need more room to run, backyards give way to schoolyards and parks.

And so our radius of adventure expands. As we get old enough to ride a bike, the area grows to include an entire town. Once we're old enough to drive, it opens up regions and states. For the truly adventurous, our opportunities expand to fill the entire globe - and beyond!

But it all starts off with a playpen.

A playpen provides a controlled, safe atmosphere for a young child. Soft surfaces and boundaries ensure that no fall is a serious fall. The fact that there are boundaries is important, because even with "childproofing," there are inherent dangers in any household.

So unless a child will be under direct supervision by a responsible adult at all times, it makes sense to provide that safe haven for him or her. After all, it's easy for even a good parent to be distracted - cooking, cleaning, telephone calls, television, and the Internet can take away even a portion of our attention away from the child - and when accidents can happen in the blink of an eye, that's unacceptable.

If your child is feeling too confined by a playpen, one of two things will happen. A smaller child will start crying in order to demand your personal attention, which will often include being picked up and cuddled. (They're clever that way!) A larger child will begin to make escape attempts. Like it or not, that child is just obeying the Law of Human Territorial Expansion, and it's time for his or her world to grow.

As parents, it is our responsibility to set boundaries that are realistic without being overly restrictive, because children who aren't given enough freedom will inevitably try to win that freedom.

That's why a playpen is a good starting point: It lets a child know early on that boundaries exist, yet with enough growth and development, those boundaries can be pushed outward. After all, it's a pattern that will continue all the way through adulthood as the world continues to grow.

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