Reducing the Chances

We did it. I am glad we did it. I'd do it again in a second. We've created an animal enclosure, just like the the zoo. We had the back yard enclosed with a fence. A fence. A glorious fence. It keeps the inside stuff in, and the outside stuff out. It is brillant.
Now, I can relax when the kids are in the yard. I know that they can't go anywhere. I know they can't get out and get into the street. I have greatly reduced the chances of one of the kids getting hit by a car.
That is really what parenting as about, in many ways. Reducing the chances of something happening or not happening. We put up and fence the reduce the chances that the kids would go running up the side of the house and into the street and get hit by a car or get kidnapped by a sex offender.
We put up baby-gates to reduce the chance of a baby falling down the step and getting hurt. We put the nice coffee table with the glass top in the attic and replace with a full wooden one, with curved ends, to reduce the chance of a bad bump on the head or a broken glass top. We reduce the chances of a baby getting electricuted by putting plastic covers --which are alomst impossible to get off -- even for adults, over the outlets. The list of steps and actions taken in the name of reducing the chances of something bad happening goes on and on. But for all the reducing the chance parents do, there is no way to stop bad stuff from happening. Case in point:
We did it. We put up a fence. And it is great. I am teaching my 3-year-old how to properly hit a ball, and not really paying too much attention to what my 14-month old daughter is doing. I know that she is in the yard -- we put up a fence -- and I know that there are few things that she can get into too much trouble. In fact there is only one thing that I really don't want her to touch, play with, and be interested in. I'll be damed if that isn't the thing that she is about to lick, as I turn around and check on her. Yes, she is about the French kiss the pooper scooper. She is holding it by the yicky end and pulling it toward her mouth, for a taste.
We have a fence and it is good but, we have two kids, and a dog they are not always good.