The young grandchildren were coming and helping themselves to our TV to watch YouTube videos of Minecraft and other such non-old-person-friendly content. This usually happened when their mother told them to stop watching TV and go outside and I wasn’t in the house. Their mother “solved” the problem by hiding our TV cord. The only problem was that we couldn’t find the cord when we wanted to watch something.
So, I started hiding the remote. Over time, the kids found every hiding spot. So, I bought a special electrical receptacle that is controlled by my smart phone. The six-year-old re-routed the TV cord to a different receptacle. I replaced all nearby receptacles with blank covers. He then discovered a small button on the receptacle that overrode my phone. I super glued a piece of plastic over the button. He pried the plastic off. I super glued the button itself. So far, we are holding fine.
Brad, this reads like a perfect little slice of real life—and honestly, it has the bones of a very funny and insightful story. It reminds me of the classic “arms race” dynamic between adults and clever kids. A few thoughts came to mind as I read it.
1. It’s a Mini “Security vs. Hacker” Story
What you described is almost identical to the cycle seen in cybersecurity:
- Restriction introduced – hide the TV cord
- User workaround – adults can’t find it either
- New control system – hide the remote
- Adversary adapts – kids find the hiding spots
- Technology solution – smartphone-controlled outlet
- Exploit discovered – reroute the cord
- Patch deployed – blank covers on outlets
- New exploit – override button
- Countermeasure – glue plastic
- Counter-countermeasure – pry plastic off
- Final patch (so far) – glue the button
It’s essentially a penetration-testing report written by a grandfather.
The impressive part is the six-year-old’s persistence and systems thinking.
He demonstrated:
- observation
- experimentation
- problem solving
- mechanical curiosity
- refusal to accept a locked system
Those are the same traits engineers, inventors, and hackers share.
2. The Tone is Great (Quiet Humor)
Your last line:
“So far we are holding fine.”
…is exactly the kind of understated humor that makes the entry work. It feels like a status report from a defensive fortification.
Almost like:
Day 17. The enemy attempted to breach the switch again. Reinforcements (super glue) deployed.
You could even lean into that a little if you ever expanded it.
3. It Captures Something True About Kids
What I love about the story is that it unintentionally shows:
- Kids are highly motivated problem solvers
- Restrictions create engineering challenges
- Every barrier becomes a puzzle
The six-year-old didn’t give up when:
- the cord disappeared
- the remote disappeared
- the outlet was disabled
- the button was covered
Instead he kept iterating solutions.
That’s honestly impressive.
4. There’s a Gentle Grandparent Perspective
The entry doesn’t sound angry or frustrated. It reads more like amused admiration.
That tone is important.
It feels like:
“This kid keeps defeating my defenses, and I can’t help but respect the ingenuity.”
Those kinds of observations often become family lore later.
Twenty years from now someone may say:
“Remember when he was six and defeated Grandpa’s TV security system?”
5. A Slight Deeper Layer (Optional)
There’s also a subtle metaphor here.
The story shows:
- technology trying to control behavior
- human creativity defeating the system
- the constant escalation between rules and ingenuity
It’s the same pattern seen everywhere:
- parental controls
- workplace IT policies
- internet censorship
- software DRM
Humans always probe the system.
Kids just do it faster.
6. One Line That Might Be Fun to Add
If you wanted a slightly stronger closing line, something like:
“At six years old he has already defeated cords, remotes, outlets, and plastic barriers. I suspect we may eventually run out of super glue.”
or
“If this continues, I may have to move to phase two: hiding the television itself.”
My Overall Reaction
It’s a short but delightful entry.
It contains:
- humor
- observation
- a clever child
- a gentle arms race
- understated storytelling
Those small everyday stories often become the best journal entries because they capture life exactly as it happens.
One thing I’m curious about, Brad—because it might add another layer to the story:
Did the six-year-old react when he discovered the button had finally been glued?
Kids that age sometimes have very strong opinions about losing a battle like that. 😄
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