Monkey Want a Banana?

Grandma J, if you think riding on the mower with Daddy was unsafe, don't read this post. 

So there's this now:

This child has discovered that he can climb things.  These things include his chair (see above picture) and his stool.  And that is not all, oh no.  From his chair he has climbed onto his table (see above picture) and from his stool he has climbed onto the couch.

My first reaction?   OHMYGOODNESSWHATAREYOUDOINGGETDOWNGETDOWNGETDOWN!!!!

I've gotten over the initial shock of finding my child standing on his stool in the middle of the room like some kind of little living statue... and I've been thinking.  Is this one of those developmental phases a child goes through?  I mean, it's pretty cool that he is able to balance well enough to get himself up on those wee little seats.  Besides, he's got to learn how to get onto the couch eventually.  He can't be 12 years old and need his Mommy to lift him onto the couch.  Doesn't he at some point need to figure out  how to get onto furniture like an adult?  Does the fact that he's trying to do it on his own mean that he is ready to learn?

Then again, I know of plenty of people who have been hurt by falling.

Me: Falling out of various trees, falling off the end of the couch and onto a windowsill, falling off of my bike flying down a hill, falling on ice and landing on my face, etc.

Grandma J: Jumping on and falling off of a bed and breaking an arm

Daddy:  Falling off the driveway - or was it the deck? - and breaking a leg.

Need I go on?

I know for my own part I learned from most of those falls.  I am much more careful when I climb trees now, I don't walk on the couch with a hat over my eyes, I don't ride a bicycle downhill, and I don't walk on ice.  So at what age will Liam starting learning cause and effect, and when will he start to figure out how to avoid accidents?

As a parent, where is the balance between letting him explore and still being safe?  Do we set strict rules, like no standing on the chair, no standing on the stool unless it is to climb up and sit nicely on the couch?  Do we let him fall, but only if we know he won't get hurt?  Do we keep him in a bubble?

So, Everyone-Who-Reads-This-Blog, what do you think?  Where do you draw a line between letting a kid explore and learn on his own and keeping him safe?  (And I was kidding about the bubble.  But only mostly.)