October 22 – “Crisis number two”

Crisis number two.   Potty training.  Seems Noa had begun the glorious experience of potty training just before her time with us began.  Now around here, that’s one of those low-impact, low-stress activities that comes about when the child is ready.  Problem is, the child isn’t always “ready” on the days when the adults remember to slip on big girl panties or big boy britches in lieu of diapers.  Or maybe they are ready in the morning, but the task of remembering gets old and tiresome throughout the day, so the afternoons are not so ready. 

And such was the case with crisis number two.  Noa was in the Blue Bedroom playing, and the playing was obviously more important that wasting time racing to the bathroom, even if it was right next door.  But one thing about those big girl panties … they just don’t hold up like diapers do.  Once you get started, you are just … uncomfortable.  Well, she got started in the bedroom, and as it began trickling down her legs, she made the decision to race to the bathroom before it could hit the floor.  Let’s just say that she didn’t win.  Chris found a puddle that began in the bedroom and flowed little footprints all the way to the kids’ sized potty in the bathroom.  Oh, she managed to save a few drops that actually made it into the potty, thus making her race to the finish a total success as far as she was concerned.  So she sat there for another 30 minutes, singing and talking to … well, the floor, the cabinets, the bathtub, her clothes, and occasionally to Nana.  And successes call for celebrations.  That one earned her a handful of the pecans we cracked earlier in the day. 

Hey, the floor got cleaned up.  The little bottom got cleaned up.  No one was the worse for wear.  I’d call that a win. 

Hebrews 13:1 says, “Keep on loving each other as brothers.”

Father, thank you for the unrestrained joy of kids at small accomplishments.  Help me regain that so I can remember to say thank you for the little things.  Like singing on the potty.  Amen.