Poop

Several times in the last few weeks I have pondered this thought... at what point in one's life does it no longer become impressive when you pee or poop? It is sometime between about age 4 and 5, but I am not sure when it happens. This morning Lila was a little constipated and when she was working at doing her business I cheered her on with great vehemence. I was one step short of whipping out pom poms and she really appreciated my encouragement (through her strained little grimaces and half smiles). Then I have a friend whose little boy is potty training and she is very excited when he goes on the toilet at his young age of 2.5; we all cheered him on as well. In addition, last year when one of my nieces went to the bathroom on the toilet another family member went as far as to e-mail a photo of the toilet bowl containing the evidence of this niece's efforts. It was a gross picture but I understood the excitement nonetheless.

So Lila gets cheers and congratulations when she does her business but no one else in the house is quite so lucky. When I was cheering her on this morning I could see the cat looking at me with a perplexed look thinking "Dang, woman, I made a ton of poop right there in that corner and all you did was spank me and yell at me". Then there are my boys. I have no complaints about Cullen in this area. Carson is a toilet neanderthal. We charge him money when he doesn't remember to flush (we have enough for his first year of college so far). It's $.25 for non-flushed pee and the fee doubles for unflushed poop. In addition, a new punishment plan starts today for when he doesn't lift the seat when he pees. I will take away whatever his favorite toy is that day. Then there is Kevin. Kevin is a good boy but I think these days he would pretty much have to win the lottery, clean the house from top to bottom (laundry included) or find the cure for some awful disease to get much attention around here; he is nowhere near getting any cheers for a properly functioning digestive system. Life just is not fair or nearly as much fun once you grow up.