Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Time to relenquish control; or is it?
This is a difficult one for me to write. I'm afraid it makes me look odd, but I have to admit that my kids are 5 and a half and 4 years old, and I still wipe their butts. NOT because I love doing it, but because I don't think they can do it properly. Kylie went all year at preschool not knowing how to do it for herself. I thought for sure I was going to get a phone call about it, but the call never came, and the school year passed. Ryan told me I would never get away with that, but I did. (She's kind of an afternoon pooper, so that worked in my favor.) She starts kindergarten in fall, and I don't think I'll be able to pull that off again. So, I decided that toward the end of the summer I'd start teaching her what to do. Ryan decided I should do it now, so when he gets the "Hey, I need someone to wipe my butt!" page, he instructs the child to take care of it. He tells them what to do and walks them through it, making sure that flushing and adequate handwashing occur afterward. Fine. The problem is that now they think they're good to go, but I was right all along. They can't do it right. Now and again I'll wander into the bathroom only to be assaulted by a putrid smell followed by the sight of poo and toilet paper still hanging around in the toilet. No flushing is happening here. And I can guarantee that if the kid is too busy to flush it, he/she is NOT washing hands. I'm not happy with this, but I guess if the ball is already rolling I should start teaching them. I just can't think of anything more disgusting than letting a child do this. I've helped Kylie through it a couple times now, and she can't get the job done without sticking a finger where it ought not to have been. And if she's doing that when I'm not helping and then not washing, I have to say, I was definitely right about this. I think they should just pay elementary school teachers more and require them to wipe hineys. I think I should be able to wait until the kids are about 8 to let them take this over.
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2 comments:
Oh I'm so glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. I want to give the butt wiping control to little Eric but i'm so afraid he won't get himself all wiped. I am trying to teach him and he has tried to wipe himself a couple of times but i always end up in there because he has got poop on his hands, the toilet paper fell into the toilet, or i just get tired of hearing him yell for me to come and wipe. Big Eric makes fun of me but oh well. I'm just glad i'm not the only one who feels like this. Thanks Jessica! :)
We urge Savannah to do it herself, but then get the "Can you come check my bum?" yell. I still have to do a little cleaning on the wetter/messier ones, but overall she does okay.
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