YES! Success! Maybe you don't define the success of your parenting the same why I do but whether you call it brainwashing, proper training, getting your kids to like cool things, or just plain old getting your kids to like what YOU like so you can bring them with you - to me this really felt like a true, tangible, measurable evidence of our superior parenting skills.
However, as those of you with more experience know, it was all a set up for finding out that we are not that great after all.
You see, we have this problem in our basement with a certain smell. This certain smell, well, it smells a lot like pee. We can't (our couldn't) find the source. We knew the area of the basement and we know that we have son with less than perfect bladder control but all the usual sources of such smells (you know - the bed, a pair of underwear stashed behind his dresser etc) were all coming up empty. Until today. Today I was helping Romney clean his room when I was moved by my worst fears to ask my little guy a point blank question.
"Rom, have you ever gone to the bathroom in your bedroom?"
silence
"Rom, I need to know. Have you ever gone to the bathroom in your bedroom?"
severe lack of eye contact and...silence
"okay Rom, I'm not going to get angry but I need to know the truth. Have you ever gone pee in your room?"
"Yes."
"In this corner?"
"Yes."
"Why?" (trying to sound like a thoughtful, understating dad instead of what I really am which is a super grossed out and seriously weirded out dad)
"Well, sometimes I really have to go and I don't think I can make it upstairs."
"So you go in the corner of your room?????"
Later I got it out of him that he had done it at least "a few" times. At this point when he realized I wasn't going to yell at him he talking about it didn't seem to phase him. ("oh yeah, a few times at least. Check out my Iron Man, Dad!")
(can you believe such a cute kid PEES IN THE CORNER OF HIS ROOM? ahhhhh)
Oh well. Back to failure parent status. It's okay, I really feel more comfortable this way. It was a lot of pressure for those few days when I was a successful parent. I'm glad to have that behind me.
(ps - dad, can I borrower your carpet shampooer thing?)
4 comments:
In the past I have had a son who had this same habit... very obnoxious. Took a while for us to figure it out also.
oh.my.word.
You know why girls don't do this? Because we can't pee standing up.
We had a good laugh when we read this. :) Also like the photos of the rock climbing and hiking expeditions.
I was just going to tell you that if you haven't gotten your hands on a carpet cleaner yet, we have one to loan you. Gross. I still have never been rock climbing. I've wanted to, but just never have, so color me impressed.
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