An open letter to manufactors and prospective home sellers

You may think that you have come up with a great idea--cold water and ice from the door of the refrigerator, but I am here to tell you that unless you include a water lock on said dispenser you are seeking the wrath of the mom. Picture the situation. A two-year-old discovers that if he pushes the dispenser in the door, water will come out. It does not matter if his cup is in the right place or if his cup is too small or if there is even a cup there. Water will come out. Without the lock, the water will pool in the reservoir, spill down the door, puddle on the floor, and run under the refrigerator. Mothers will have to use seven or eight towels a day to wipe up the spilled water they discover every time they come into the kitchen.

Homeowners, don't fall for the advertising, especially if your neighborhood is filled with first-time homebuyers. The family who buys your home will not bless you for thinking of their convenience. They will curse you every time they have to pull the refrigerator out from the wall to wipe under it. They will question your sanity with statements like, "Why didn't they spend the extra on a counter depth fridge instead?" They will threaten to ship their children and the fridge to your house in Florida so that you have to deal with the clean-up.

Think of the young moms. Think of the young children. Think of the fish who want water in their rivers. Don't buy the water and ice dispenser in the door of the refrigerator . . . unless it has a lock.