Back to the gates

G has been developing his story-telling skills lately. He'll grab a toy and make up a nice complicated (and impossible to follow) story to go with it, while he acts it out. Loosely. It's pretty cute. He also requests things in riddles. For example, this morning he wanted something flat.
"I want something flat"
"Like what, Babe?"
"Something flat with honey on it."
"What do you want that is flat with honey on it."
"Something flat"
"Use your words to NAME what you are talking about please"
"Something flat."

Eventually it came out that he wanted a pancake. Which I kinda guessed. I just would really like him to get in the habit of making his request instead of spending 30 minutes playing a guessing game.

Anyway. Back to my point. He makes up cool stories and shares them. And lots of the details are in code. So one evening he was telling me about playing in the back yard with ES and GS, our neighbors. He went on and on about digging in the mud and playing on his bike and checking the garden. Then he I realized he was talking about the moon and it being dark and quiet and Mommy and Daddy were asleep. My mommy radar started going off.
"Did you play outside at night"
"Uh, huh."
"All alone?"
"Yes! All by myself!"
"You do know you have to stay in your bed, and especially in our house. You can't go outside unless Mommy or Daddy is awake and KNOWS you are outside."
"OK Mommy."

I may have belabored the point a bit as we were getting into bed. But I let it go. I think it was Friday morning that I got up and started seeing mud clods all over the floor. They made a trail to each door and through the living room and kitchen. I knew C had stayed up with his cough and just figured he'd gone for a walk or something. Weird, I know. But I vacuumed it all up and went about the morning. When C got up, I asked him about it. He looked at me like I was crazy. M insisted he didn't get up. That leaves G. Who has already told a convincing story about midnight adventures.
Granted, my neighborhood is quite safe. But let's just say I'm a little freaked out.
Suffice it to say the gate at the top of the stairs is closed when Mom and Dad head to bed from here on out. When he learns to open it, well, I'll think of something else.
Parenting is SUCH an adventure.