Never underestimate your preschooler

Two brothers, ages 3 and 5, took off for a drive in the family van in Northern Indiana on Saturday morning. Chase and Chandler sat in the driver's seat and steered the car together--nobody's sure how they managed to work the pedals, but somehow they did. 5-year-old Chase knew to stop the car and look both ways before crossing a 4-lane highway, but had a little trouble steering the vehicle and ended up plowing through a fence and ending their ride in a dirt pile. Thankfully, both boys were unscathed and the car experienced minor damage and a flat tire.

The badly-frightened mom says the house is now "locked down like Fort Knox" and she plans to sleep with the keys around her neck.

It makes me even more grateful for our excellent home security system, which includes sensors on every door. It alerts us with a loud chime and a computerized voice identifying which door was opened if one of the kids tries to head outside . . . I can hear the "Beep, beep, beep--front door" from anywhere in the house. It's an optional feature, but we keep it turned on all the time. It really helps my peace of mind knowing that if one of the kids DOES disobey and open a door without a parent there with them, we'll know right away that a door was opened and even which door they went out so we can catch them within seconds.