We have a second floor and a low wall/barrier around it to prevent falls to the first floor. Unfortunately, said barrier is about 6 inches wide and easily to climb, and therefore fall from. Conor loves to climb and jump from things and is absolutely fearless. You probably see the problem. So, I installed some decorative deterrents that add about 12 inches to the height and can’t be climbed over. Yes, I felt brilliant for finally coming up with what I thought was a good solution to an otherwise frightening and difficult problem. Then I saw Conor standing on my desk that butted up against the wall and wrapped around forming a corner desk. Looked nice, opened up the space, gave me a lot of room to work. Then I came upstairs and saw Conor standing on the desk overlooking the drop to the second floor. He had been trying to place his Ipad on the shelf above the desk (no, I don’t know why) and was in danger of falling over the wall despite my decorative deterrent. To put it plainly, he would not have survived the fall, or would have been horribly hurt, as it is too high up. Full panic mode kicked in. I immediately wanted to sell the house and move to a single story dwelling. Not going to happen. I went to the garage, got out the power drill and took the desk apart. I moved it to the other side of the room so it is nowhere near the ledge. Then, for good measure, I took (ok, yanked) the shelves off the wall. A good amount of spackling later, the area is better at keeping him safe.
Point being, despite the obvious way a room should flow to create a nice environment, it’s not always possible when you have a kiddo who is not able to follow safety rules. So for those who come to the house, please know that I am aware of Feng Shui, but am unable to apply it to some rooms of the house. At least he’s safe. For now. From that.
Also I am looking to get rid of a big desk if anyone needs it 🙂
autism assistance dog for conor 
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