The Annual Refrigerator Lock

Today we answered the age old question, “Which will break first? The refrigerator lock? Or the children’s desire to open the refrigerator?” Turns out, it’s the refrigerator lock.

Our old refrigerator lock had served us well for about a year, but too many tugs, pulls, and slams killed it. The plastic lock cracked, limiting its effectiveness. It would still work if positioned perfectly, but I wouldn’t trust it to guard a freshly opened gallon of orange juice.

I considered leaving the lock off the refrigerator. The boys are 2-years-old now and nearing their half-birthday. That’s old enough to know and follow rules like “don’t open the refrigerator.” If I simply establish rules and enforce punishment every time those rules are broken, they’ll learn to follow the rules.

After I had visions of the kids making a berries and cream dessert on the kitchen floor with contents from the produce drawer and milk shelf, I decided to kick the can down the road a bit farther. Everyone will be better prepared to follow rules in another year. I’ve successfully kicked potty training down the road for years using that philosophy.

I took the kids to the nearest big box store this morning to select a replacement. I had hoped to buy a copy of our old lock so I could just replace the old locking mechanism. That way when the kids find a way to break the lock base too, I’ll have a replacement ready in the drawer. Alas, refrigerator lock technology improves at a dizzying pace, and the big box store carried a completely different model a year later. Perhaps research found that new side release buttons are more aerodynamic than the old top release button.

Once home I opened the lock package, read the installation instructions, and realized I had to wait. While lock technology has improved, adhesive technology has not; the adhesive needed 24 hours to cure on the appliance before using, which meant I had to let it sit overnight before letting the kids yank on the door.

I watched the unsecured refrigerator carefully all day. The kids usually did well to stay away from it. They’re learning the rule about opening the refrigerator door, but it’s still nice to have the lock on there as extra insurance. I have to leave the refrigerator unattended for extended periods, such as when I need to clean the bathroom after another attempt at potty training. It’s good to know that when I walk back into the kitchen I never have to worry about finding bite marks in every apple in the produce drawer.