Aug 12, 2008

Bathroom Story - Too Funny

I found this story and had to share it with all of you. This is just too cute! What's the most embarrassing moment you've had with your little talker?

A 3-year-old tells all from his mother's restroom stall.

My little guy, Cade, is quite a talker. He loves to communicate and
does it quite well. He talks to people constantly, whether we're in
the library, the grocery store or at a drive-thru window.

People often comment on how clearly he speaks for a just-turned-3-
year-old. And you never have to ask him to turn up the volume. It's
always fully cranked. There've been several embarrassing times that
I've wished the meaning of his words would have been masked by a not-
so-audible voice, but never have I wished this more than last week
at Costco.

Halfway, through our shopping trip, nature called, so I took Cade
with me into the restroom. If you'd been one of the ladies in the
restroom that evening, this is what you would have heard coming from
the second to the last stall:

"Mommy, are you gonna go potty? Oh! Why are you putting toiwet paper
on the potty, Mommy? Oh! You gonna sit down on da toiwet paper now?
Mommy, what are you doing? Mommy, are you gonna go stinkies on the
potty?"

At this point I started mentally counting how many women had been in
the bathroom when I walked in. Several stalls were full ... 4? 5?
Maybe we could wait until they all left before I had to make my
debut out of this stall and reveal my identity.

Cade continued, "Mommy, you ARE going stinkies aren't you? Oh, dats
a good girl, Mommy! Are you gonna get some candy for going stinkies
on the potty? Let me see doze stinkies, Mommy! Oh ... Mommy! I'm
trying to see in dere. Oh! I see dem. Dat is a very good girl,
Mommy. You are gonna get some candy!"

I heard a few faint chuckles coming from the stalls on either side
of me. Where is a screaming newborn when you need her? Good grief.
This was really getting embarrassing. I was definitely waiting a
long time before exiting. Trying to divert him, I said, "Why don't
you look in Mommy's purse and see if you can find some candy. We'll
both have some!"

"No, I'm trying to see doze more stinkies. Oh! Mommy!" He started to
gag at this point. "Uh oh, Mommy. I fink I'm gonna frow up. Mommy,
doze stinkies are making me frow up!! Dat is so gross!!" As the gags
became louder, so did the chuckles outside my stall. I quickly
flushed the toilet in hopes of changing the subject. I began to
reason with myself: OK. There are four other toilets. If I count
four flushes, I can be reasonably assured that those who overheard
this embarrassing monologue will be long gone.

"Mommy! Would you get off the potty, now? I want you to be done
going stinkies! Get up! Get up!" He grunted as he tried to pull me
off. Now I could hear full-blown laughter. I bent down to count the
feet outside my door.

"Oh, are you wooking under dere, Mommy? You wooking under da door?
What were you wooking at, Mommy? You wooking at the wady's feet?"
More laughter. I stood inside the locked door and tried to assess
the situation.

"Mommy, it's time to wash our hands, now. We have to go out now,
Mommy." He started pounding on the door. "Mommy, don't you want to
wash your hands? I want to go out!!"

I saw that my "wait 'em out" plan was unraveling. As I sheepishly
opened the door, and found an open sink, I thought, Where's the fine
print on the 'motherhood contract' where I signed away every bit of
my privacy?

But as my little boy gave me a big, cheeky grin while he rubbed
bubbly soap between his chubby little hands, I thought, I'd sign it
all away again, just to be known as Mommy to this little fellow.

(Written by Shannon Popkin, who is a freelance writer, and mother of
three. She lives with her family in Grand Rapids , Michigan , where
she no longer uses public restrooms.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my, aren't kiddos just wonderful little conversationalists? After 4 of them, I have plenty of bathroom funnies - Right now my 3-year-old still isn't quite all-the-way trained but it's hilarious to see her "oops" and take off running to the bathroom.

Kristy said...

I love this story! Personally I don't have one remotely close to this but my husband was pretty humiliated once. While traveling, he took our son to the men's room while our daughter and I visited the ladies room.

When he came out he said he'd helped our four year old take care of his business, then started to take care of his own.

Our son asked him, do you want me to help you hold yo-self, Daddy?

My husband declined...