When you're the parent of a young child, the word 'poo' comes up in your everyday conversations with alarming frequency. You also realize that you also have lots of stored information about color, consistency, ease of cleaning, and the always key: regularity of deposit.
I thought that once Hank was potty trained, our potty life would be golden. I'm here to tell you (in case you were wondering, and even if you're not) that this simply isn't the case. Unfortunate though that may be.
It seems that many children, boys especially, like to hold on to their poo as if they had the crown jewels up there. They have it, and they don't want to give it up, no sir. Sneaking stool softener into their morning juice, adding pineapple to every meal, all of this makes their work all the more difficult, it's true, but still, they will not give up the ghost. I'm not certain if it's that they don't like the sensation? Perhaps that's part of it. And holding it does nothing to make it more comfortable, to be sure. Mostly, I think it's that they simply don't want to stop what they're doing (playing with a bat cave) to go sit on the toilet for a few minutes. Unfortunately, this means that about 5-7 days will go by, and then Mommy makes him sit on the toilet, and *then* he's stuck there for about 20 full minutes while much discomfort ensues which will almost certainly end with a plumbing crisis. Oftentimes, tears are involved. Every time, complaining and whining will be involved. It's very unpleasant for all parties.
So, this morning, we had one of those. And with my in-laws arriving from Florida this afternoon, I really didn't want this poo thing hanging over our heads. My mother-in-law tends to fret about the poo thing much more than I do, and even though I blog about poo, I really don't want to be discussing it over Thanksgiving dinner. So thankfully, even though it caused Hank to nearly miss his bus, we had poo production. Much rejoicing and celebration followed. The glamorous joys of parenthood. We deserve a medal for it, each and every one of us.
With company coming, as you can imagine, I've been tornadoing (I've officially coined that word) around the house like mad. This weekend, I:
(1) Cleaned out the refrigerator. Anybody with me that this is one of the grossest chores ever? "Something going bad" smell makes me gag much more than kid poo.
(2) Swept and cleaned the kitchen floor.
(3) Gave the stove and counter tops a much needed scrubbing.
(4) Swept the side entracenway, which seems to accumulate dirt faster than any other spot in the house.
(5) Did several loads of laundry.
(6) Scrubbed the downstairs bathroom and shower.
(7) Cleaned the guest room.
(8) Touched up paint on a few places in the trim, and on the kitchen ceiling.
All told, especially #8? Pretty neurotic, I'm certain you'll agree. I can't help it. It makes me feel better.
I haven't even been grocery shopping yet. Going to tackle that tomorrow morning, and I'm certain that it will be a near occasion of sin. But I'll do my best. The rest of the day will be taken up cooking and baking. And I am very much looking forward to it. :)
I won't be online much until next Monday, so no blog posts until then. But rest assured that I'll report in every detail then. Happy Thanksgiving!
It's not just boys. Girls do that too. I've worked in day care long enough to tell you that it's a sensitivity thing. Some kids prefer to sit in their poo all day long and other kids can't stand to even poop at all. I don't know why either. It has nothing to do with their normal personality either because some of the most outgoing kids hate to poop.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck on your pooping situation. And Have a Happy Turkey Day!