It is assumed that when one becomes a parent, a certain amount of self-sacrifice will be required. Less sleep, more guilt, more worry, less free time, less flexibility, less freedom to watch what you want to on t.v., less space for you and more for toys...poopy diapers, messy feedings, broken things, stained things, things hidden by a toddler...physical demands, emotional demands, spiritual and psychological demands...all of these come with the territory and come with great rewards on the flip side.

There is, however, one task of modern parenting that I feel is way beyond the call of duty. No human being deserves the agony and defeat inherent in the worst parenting task I've encountered so far. In fact, I believe there is a special corner in hell for the worst of the worst people who have ever lived, where they have to install screw-mounted baby gates, one after the other, until the end of eternity.

I just spent two hours finding studs, drilling, screwing, stripping screws, and sweating through two shirts in the middle of winter only to find that, once installed, this particular baby gate cannot possibly work on our particular house. To be securely mounted in studs that do not line up exactly across from one another, I had to put it on a diagonal that is not-quite-slight-enough to allow it to latch.

I had a similar experience with installing our downstairs gate, which is why I have neglected to complete this important baby-proofing task for the last 10 months or so since Susanna started crawling.

$40 and one day off without a baby down, and absolutely no progress. Just 15 holes in the wall. Argh.