2yo boy picks lock to sister's room in the night, steals her toys

March 27, 2013 11:18 PM

Her parents were skeptical that her two year old sibling could really be doing this, so they set up a webcam to see what really happened in the night. Here's the proof. More details at the local news site - the girl locked her own door to try and keep her brother out, and he's using a pair of nail clippers to pick the lock.
posted by Joh (48 comments total)

THIS IS HOW LITTLE BROTHERS ARE!!

Thank goodness he's attending school in the US and not Vietnam or we'd all be in real trouble.
posted by fshgrl at 11:22 PM on March 27, 2013 [17 favorites]

Fake: extra person shadows starting at 1:06.
posted by metaplectic at 11:25 PM on March 27, 2013 [4 favorites]

I lost my job today.

I enjoyed this, so thanks.
posted by mazola at 11:28 PM on March 27, 2013 [2 favorites]

Fake: extra person shadows starting at 1:06.

I think that's just one of the parents, as they are obviously hanging out filming it (see: laughing at end of video).
posted by grapesaresour at 11:32 PM on March 27, 2013 [4 favorites]

Only a Monty Haul DM allows a Thief LVL 1 to do this.
posted by bardic at 11:35 PM on March 27, 2013 [8 favorites]

A bedroom doorknob will ordinarily have one of two kinds of locks: uncommonly a proper tumbler type lock which an expert can pick using both hands and a proper set of tools. Much more typically it will have a simple pushbutton release behind a small hole in the center of the outside knob: this type of lock is basically a privacy lock. If the nail clipper has a file on it which is small enough to go in this hole, then it's not really picking, though it's not unimpressive for a toddler who ostensibly has not been shown how to do it to stick it in this hole and push. I have an older house with oldfashioned knobs so I can't check it, but I'm pretty sure the usual nailclipper file will not fit. Also, this video is staged and the parents are just making a cute video about their son. That last is an opinion.
posted by George_Spiggott at 11:46 PM on March 27, 2013 [3 favorites]

Haha, what a clever kid, even if it's a simpler lock as George_Spiggott describes.

It's interesting that he both hides the evidence, and is very gentle with closing the doors to avoid alerting the adults. The two year olds I've dealt with don't have nearly that kind of awareness or dexterity.
posted by spiderskull at 11:49 PM on March 27, 2013 [3 favorites]

I would have grabbed the moose pillow pet.
posted by Brocktoon at 11:54 PM on March 27, 2013 [9 favorites]

I used to do this with the locks in my house when I was a kid. It really is as simple as sticking pretty much anything in the hole to pop it open. They aren't secure, they just basically signify that someone is in there that doesn't want to be disturbed.
posted by empath at 12:17 AM on March 28, 2013

I have four boys and I never underestimate what they are able to accomplish, even at two/three. Roald Dahl had it 100% right when he wrote Matilda.
posted by Neale at 12:31 AM on March 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

Can you imagine the sheer rush of excitement and satisfaction that kid must've felt after completing his mission?
posted by spacediver at 12:33 AM on March 28, 2013 [2 favorites]

George_Spiggott: There is a third type of lock similar to the pushbutton type but with a slot instead of a round hole, requiring that you insert something into the slot and turn about half a turn to open the lock. The file that flips out of a pair of nail clippers is perfect for this.

I grew up with those locks and could open them instantly using only a fingernail by the time I was 5. I can easily believe a clever 2 year old could do it - the hard part is opening up the nail clippers.

Either way calling it "lock picking" is a bit of an exaggeration.

If it's staged (and it might be) the 2YO is an excellent actor. Notice that he doesn't even look up at the camera as he turns around with the pillow pet, and how he pushes the door slowly closed as if he's worried about making noise.
posted by mmoncur at 1:01 AM on March 28, 2013 [5 favorites]

I'm glad that the manufacturers of gun safes use higher quality locks. You need a three-year-old to open those ones.
posted by pont at 1:08 AM on March 28, 2013 [8 favorites]

There is a third type of lock similar to the pushbutton type but with a slot instead of a round hole, requiring that you insert something into the slot and turn about half a turn to open the lock. The file that flips out of a pair of nail clippers is perfect for this.

I currently live in an apartment with these "locks" so, yeah, seconded.
posted by kisch mokusch at 4:11 AM on March 28, 2013

Yep. That's not picking a lock, it's using the lock as designed, just as pressing a recessed Reset button on a piece of electronics is resetting the device, not crashing the device. These buttons are made to be pushed or turned like that as part of normal product use. They are purposely slightly hard to use so you won't accidentally push them and unwillingly reset your computer or see your sister naked or whatever.

But that doesn't mean the kid isn't a sneaky little fucker who needs to be watched.
posted by pracowity at 4:19 AM on March 28, 2013 [11 favorites]

It's lock picking, because it opens the lock without the need for a key. It's an easy, easy lock to pick, true, but the description is still apt.

This probably wasn't staged, but it was a sting operation. His folks were hiding out in the adjoining corridor or room, and while you can see their shadows on the night cam - it's unlikely the kid was able to see it.
posted by Slap*Happy at 5:16 AM on March 28, 2013

It's lock picking, because it opens the lock without the need for a key. It's an easy, easy lock to pick, true, but the description is still apt.

In the locks George_Spiggott is describing, they're designed to be opened that way--there's no keyhole, only a small round hole. You're meant to be able to open them by sticking a piece of wire or metal (maybe 1/4 inch in diameter) into the hole, and there's no other way to open them from the outside. That said, you couldn't open one of those with the file from nail clippers, or at least not the ones in the house I lived in that had such locks.
posted by hoyland at 5:20 AM on March 28, 2013

Fake: extra person shadows starting at 1:06.

Slender Man?
posted by Pyrogenesis at 5:47 AM on March 28, 2013 [6 favorites]

This is a clever trailer for Paranormal Activity 8 or whatever we are on.
posted by theuninvitedguest at 6:04 AM on March 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

I don't know whether to applaud the kid's skill or buy his sister a deadbolt.
posted by easily confused at 6:17 AM on March 28, 2013 [3 favorites]

He probably asked for a Pillow Pet about 30 times. That's what happens if you don't listen!

Seriously though, clever child.
posted by SpacemanStix at 6:21 AM on March 28, 2013

I just checked the second link. "Kifing" is a word?
posted by pracowity at 6:27 AM on March 28, 2013

"Kifing" is a word?

It's in the dictionary!

...with a -43% rating.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 6:29 AM on March 28, 2013

WORST. OCEANS. SEQUEL. EVER.
posted by Optamystic at 6:32 AM on March 28, 2013 [9 favorites]

My 3-year old does this all the time when his older brother locks the bathroom door for privacy, but his tool of choice is a spoon from the kitchen (we have the slot-type doorknobs).
posted by fimbulvetr at 6:51 AM on March 28, 2013

He probably asked for a Pillow Pet about 30 times.

And WHY did he do this? Why is his longing for Pillow Pets so strong as to result to petty crime?

GODDAMN SPROUT, that's who! Why in God's name the PBS Kids Channel has Ads is beyond me to begin with, but when every single ad is for the f#cking Pillow Pet (and then a Dream Light, and now the Glow Light) it's only a matter of time before munchkin is pleading for a roomful of those cheap plush trinkets.

Mr. Rogers didn't sell crap, PBS. Why must you?
posted by leotrotsky at 7:01 AM on March 28, 2013 [4 favorites]

Clever? I dunno. This gave me the creeps.
Wedging chair against door, BRB.
posted by antiquated at 7:16 AM on March 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

It's adorable but I vote for "staged". Why would a 2-year old have access to nail clippers?

"Kifing" is a word?

It's in the dictionary!

So is "kipe". I guess maybe "kife" is a regional variation? Either way, it seems like an awfully informal word to use in a news report. (Also, for future reference, is kifing/kiping pronounced like "griping" or "gripping"?)
posted by fuse theorem at 7:21 AM on March 28, 2013

Between, him, the Ravens, and that philosopher kid, I think the future world is a world of Ultraviolet (a la: Indigo-grandchildren) Odin Incarnates.
posted by symbioid at 7:33 AM on March 28, 2013

Someone should teach his elder sister to share.
posted by mistersquid at 7:59 AM on March 28, 2013

Someone should teach his elder sister to share.

There's victim blaming for all ages!
posted by forgetful snow at 8:14 AM on March 28, 2013 [10 favorites]

Clever? I dunno. This gave me the creeps.

The creepiest part was that his parents still have no idea where he got those night vision goggles. OK, maybe that was the second creepiest part. The creepiest part was definitely the "Silince! ISee Yu Sleep!" he wrote in crayon on his sister's wall. That and what happened to the budgie.
posted by pracowity at 8:44 AM on March 28, 2013 [5 favorites]

As someone who had a younger sibling with an actual kleptomania problem, that brought up some really bad memories. I actually had a deadbolt on my bedroom door for a while when I was a teenager. (She got better after getting help during her teen years. We had a troubled home life, which presumably isn't the case here.)
posted by epersonae at 8:49 AM on March 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

Someone should teach his elder sister to share.
posted by mistersquid at 7:59 AM on March 28 [+][!]

In Obama's America there is no such thing as my pillow pet; there is only our pillow pet.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:14 AM on March 28, 2013

REDRUM
posted by George_Spiggott at 9:27 AM on March 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

I'm not a parent, but wouldn't behavior like this raise concerns? I know children of that age are unclear on property, but surely most of them don't work so hard at taking what they want? It seems driven in a way that is foreign to my understanding of that age group?

My sister pulled these kind of stunts starting at that age, too. My mother thought it was funny and refused to let me lock my door because 'family don't lock each other out'. She finds it less cute now since my sister still continues to steal everything not bolted down from anyone fool enough to let her within range of their belongings.

So if I were a parent, this kind of behavior would alarm me, but my experience colors my perception of it.
posted by winna at 9:42 AM on March 28, 2013 [7 favorites]

But that doesn't mean the kid isn't a sneaky little fucker who needs to be watched.

Watched and corrected.
posted by MissySedai at 10:48 AM on March 28, 2013 [6 favorites]

If I was this kid's parent, I'm not sure whether I would want to direct this behavior into something more useful or start a family crime organization.
posted by Sophie1 at 10:58 AM on March 28, 2013 [3 favorites]

Willing and able to steal his sister's toys in the night? I predict a bright future for this young man, who is already honing the skills you need to get ahead in this world.
posted by Zed at 11:29 AM on March 28, 2013

He's the perfect size to fit through air ducts, too.
posted by gottabefunky at 1:12 PM on March 28, 2013

This is not a bad kid, but a really clever kid who has worked out how to get what he wants--at two years old--without asking the grown-ups for help. I hope the parents start giving him more productive challenges and putting that strategically-gifted brain to work for good instead of evil, because that kid has potential.

Disclaimer: I have a child like this. In college now, but as a child he did things like dismantle childsafe locks, take stuff apart to see how it works and create elaborate string mazes connecting all the door handles in the house, all before he was three years old. After I'd added a deadbolt at adult eye level to the front door (to thwart him from getting outside without me to watch him, when I was busy with his baby brother), I found him one day painstakingly pushing his rocking horse to the front door. So that he could stand on it. To reach the deadbolt.

To this day, he is the best strategy game player around. We're trying to get him to look at careers in Intelligence, but he wants to be a financial planner, so be afraid, everyone. Be very, very afraid.
posted by misha at 2:29 PM on March 28, 2013 [4 favorites]

I agree with George. Though he is a kid after my own heart, it is most likely the key slot has stripped or has a simple push button opener for the inner lock.
posted by clavdivs at 3:47 PM on March 28, 2013

A three year old sleeping in a bedroom with the door locked? Really? My wife would never have allowed it. No way.
posted by notreally at 6:15 PM on March 28, 2013

A three year old sleeping in a bedroom with the door locked? Really? My wife would never have allowed it. No way.

The older sibling is eight, not three. And the younger sibling is two and (presumably) his door wasn't locked.
posted by devinemissk at 6:52 PM on March 28, 2013

My little sister used to steal my toys all the time. And then do you know what she would do? She would tell my mother that I had given her the toy and had since changed my mind and was making up the story about her stealing it. And my mother would believe my little sister. AND I WOULD BE THE ONE WHO GOT IN TROUBLE.

Little sibs are evil, I tell you. Evil to the core.
posted by BlueJae at 9:20 PM on March 28, 2013 [2 favorites]

There's victim blaming for all ages!

You might be joking, but in case you (and your upvoting posse) aren't:

I didn't think I was blaming the "victim" so much as saying this is a non-crime. Stealing her toys? What? To sell them? To deprive her of their use forever and ever?

No this is a family, like so many other Western families, that ingrains the notion of exclusive use into their children starting with toys. Toys for crying out loud. Toys that only one child can play with because that one child owns them.

And the idea of exclusive use is so deeply believed that the little brother who wants to use steal the toys is seen as committing something on the order of a crime.

Maybe we Westerners (first-worlders) deserve the copyright and patent laws we claim are fouling our commons.
posted by mistersquid at 9:51 PM on March 28, 2013

(Also, for future reference, is kifing/kiping pronounced like "griping" or "gripping"?)

I've always heard it pronounced like "griping"
posted by superna at 9:48 AM on March 29, 2013

mistersquid: "I didn't think I was blaming the "victim" so much as saying this is a non-crime. Stealing her toys? What? To sell them? To deprive her of their use forever and ever?

No this is a family, like so many other Western families, that ingrains the notion of exclusive use into their children starting with toys. Toys for crying out loud. Toys that only one child can play with because that one child owns them.

And the idea of exclusive use is so deeply believed that the little brother who wants to use steal the toys is seen as committing something on the order of a crime.

Maybe we Westerners (first-worlders) deserve the copyright and patent laws we claim are fouling our commons."

From a comment on the Green recently:

Someone pointed out to me a while ago that as adults we are absolutley not asked to share in the same way as kids. It would be shocking and upsetting if you were reading a book, or using a computer or something like that and another adult came up and just snatched it away while another adult admonished you to share it. We get to make choices with our own personal belongings (within reason) and allowing your kids to do the same (within reason) is ok too.

In the absence of further information (all we've seen of this family is their hallway) I'm inclined to give the older sister the benefit of the doubt here. There is nothing wrong or unnatural about not wanting somebody else to mess with one's things, especially when it's a younger sibling who will almost certainly not be as careful with them. "I don't want him drooling on it in his sleep" is a perfectly reasonable feeling, IMO.

Besides, we have no way of knowing whether the kid is attached to and determined to get one particular toy or if he's just being cat-like and wanting one of those! behind the closed door! that I'm not supposed to have! In the first case, maybe the parents could get him one of his own or facilitate daytime negotiations between the kids until a mutually satisfactory deal can be reached. "You can have Mr. Snuggles, but I get to choose the bedtime story from now until summer vacation" or something like that, maybe. In the latter… I dunno; I don't have kids and don't know how one mediates "please stop messing with your sister just for the sake of messing with her."
posted by Lexica at 5:40 PM on March 30, 2013 [2 favorites]