What Is So Alluring About My Dining Room Table?

Okay, so exactly what is so alluring about my dining room table? Why are my little boys so adamant about being on top of it?

I know it's not the availability of leftovers. My table stays virtually food-free in between meals!

It cannot be the various nifty things found on top of most dining room tables, either.

I have long since removed the lazy susan, the salt & pepper shakers, the basket full of tempting paper napkins, and anything else of interest to a curious toddler or three!

Yet, they still feel compelled to try and climb up onto that table. Why, oh why?

I have tried everything and anything that I can think of to deter them from getting up there.

I have removed all sources of temptation from the top of it. I have even gone so far as to move all of the dining room chairs (and there are ten of those) AWAY from the table.

Three of them have feeding chairs strapped to them which render them all but completely useless for climbing purposes.

Two chairs are lined up along the wall next to the back door, while two are on either side of the china cabinet.

Three of the chairs are kept along the wall across from the doorway to the hall, making the move to the table very daunting for any toddler.

Yet, they still find ways to get up on top of that table. Kian is the designated furniture mover.

I thought we were going to be okay until he figured out that there is a support bar across the bottom front of each chair that is just perfect for him to grab onto and drag that chair across the floor long distances.

It's nothing for Kian to grab a chair and just pull it across the floor at his leisure. Apparently that bar is very strategically placed for that reason alone, or so it seems!

Yesterday, both of the baby boys climbed up to "Read" a little pamphlet that came in one of their Christmas toys.

Kian was content to read the comic part, while Kaiden immediately set about shredding his half of the little book.

Once Kai was finished shredding, he decided to play with his new favorite toy, the chandelier.

Now, that chandelier has been attached to that ceiling since I was about four years old and my grandmother had renovated this house.

It's been up there basically for the past thirty years. I am seriously worried that Kaiden is going to be the one to bring it down for the first time in years!

My dilemma is, how exactly do I stop this from happening? I have tried telling him that it is going to break, that it is breakable, and that it will hurt if it falls on his head.

No, I am not telling him all of that at one time. This is becoming quite a common occurrence and I just pick a phrase each time it happens, varying for my sanity's sake.

He looks at it while we talk it over, and nods in agreement, and says, "Oohhh" as if he understands.

Then not five minutes later, he is back to playing with his favorite chandelier AGAIN.

I have yet to find a toy or an activity that is effective in redirecting his attention. Really, my problem is, that he just does NOT forget anything that he wants to do.

He can sit in time out for a few minutes, and then be sat down with a cool toy that he seems interested in playing with, only to still manage to remember that he had wanted to play with that chandelier.

He is also convinced that it will help him FLY! I had hoped not to have this flying problem until he was older.

Now I worry because I live in a two story house! I am seriously dreading his deciding to play "Superman" or some other flying hero.

What's a Mum to do? How would you keep your child from hanging from the chandelier? I would appreciate any and all solutions!