A 3-year-old tells all.

[Tink]

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

By Shannon Popkin

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 new born 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. I sheepishly opened the
door, and found standing outside my stall, twenty to thirty ladies crowded
around the stall, all smiling and starting to applaud.

My first thought was complete embarrassment, then I thought, 'Where's the
fine print on the 'motherhood contract' where I signed away every bit of my
dignity and 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.



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

[goofywife]

Oh my goodness. I spilled my drink. That is just too funny!!!!

[katcarasella]

Absolutely hysterical Tink, I had a visual thoughout the whole thing.

my cheeks hurt.gif

[teri88]

Oh, tht brought back memories! My "baby boy" is 17 now, but he was a chatterbox too. He would sit on the tub and talk to me the whole time I was going potty. I could list the embarrassing things he said to me, but I'll spare you! Thanks for a great laugh!

[Janet]

My baby boy is 17 years old too. Wow...how could time go so fast....

[DianaB]

OMGosh!!!! That certainly brought back some memories!!!!! Memories from a long, long time ago because my son is 33!!!!! Of course the girls are younger! Wish that I had one more day of them being little..........

[Chandra Amaya]

well, atleast I'm not the only one with embarrassing son in the potty stories....

[judy]

That is so cute!