A New Way To Potty

I've blogged a lot in the past about the (mis)adventures of taking 2 (soon to be 3--eek!) small boys to go potty.

Despite repeated trips, (loud) requests to "don't touch my butt", and power squats, I find it to be an important and, strangely, enjoyable aspect of fatherhood.

I guess I look at taking my boys potty as not only a responsibility, but also bonding time.

And an important aspect of this responsibility is to train them to be "good citizens of the stall."

You know what I mean, guys. It's on the "final exam."

You walk into a bathroom with five urinals, numbered left-to-right:

1 2 3 4 5

If you walk in and someone is peeing in #1, which urinal do you use (hint: there IS a correct answer here)?

...

#5, of course.

Anyway, I made a vow to myself that I would "train" my boys properly in such matters, so that they'd never think of using #2 (or 3 or 4) in the above scenario.

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But, just as Mr. Miyagi said, "First learn stand. Then learn fly."

So one of the first things we're working on is "modesty" while going potty (and afterwards)--not to mention those little parts about flushing and handwashing.

All of the above are challenging at times for a 5 year-old.

For many a moon, one of Big Brother's favorite habits was to run out of the bathroom when he finished, with his pants and underoos still hovering ankle-high, sometimes making it to the "finish line" at the dinner table.

BRIEF DIGRESSION--I'm a big believer that a large amount of children's behavior is learned by imitation. My boys copy an unbelievable amount of what I say and do.

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Fast forward to the other day.

I come home from work to have Mom-E inform me that Big Brother explained he has a "new way" to go potty.

Apparently he said, "Hey Mom. I learned a new trick. I tried it at school."

Apparently Mom-E did not turn pale (or pass out) after hearing the words
"new, trick, potty, and school" in the same sentence. (I would've.)

Forunately, she was "relieved" with his answer.

In lieu of pants and underoos around the ankles, he's figured out how to "take out only what is essential" when he needs to pee.

Even if it means (and it WILL mean) a few "spraying accidents", (maybe) we're starting to figure out the modesty thing.

That's my boy. That's my boy. You pay attention to detail. You're growing up and I'm proud.

Have a good week,
Busy-Dad-E