My Son Pooped in a Net

Tristan is five years old. Five years old is such a great age. The world is still new and his mind is eager to explore. He lives in a world of imagination, surrounded by characters of fantasy. He entertains us daily with his stories and song. Yet, he is old enough to comprehend rules and remarkably, not only abides by the rules, but has become the household enforcer of the rules. For example, I once told Tristan "no drinks in the living room." A few weeks later I made the mistake of bringing a cup of coffee there. He did not hestitate to read me the riot act for that one. Another time I told the kids they would only be permitted to use the plastic cups and no mugs with handles (that rule was made up one miserable morning when I was tired, cranky, and couldn't find a clean coffee mug). A few days later while Tristan was eating, I poured some juice into a ceramic mug for him. He promptly reminded me that he is not allowed to drink from a mug and would not accept it. In case you're wondering, yes, it can be annoying to have your five year old catch you breaking your own rule. That aside, I shouldn't complain.

The problem I recently ran into, however, is that I never told him not to poop in a net. I have definitely set in place a no peeing/pooping in the bathtub rule, and I am quite certain that I have repeatedly told both boys not to drip water all over the bathroom floor while they are bathing. So given that set of rules, what's a boy who is suddenly hit with the urge to poo to do? Well, the reasoning of my five year old son was brilliant when you really think about it. He carefully climbed out of the tub, taking care not to drip water off of the bathtub rug. He then grabbed a bathtub toy net, squatted, and let it out.

The actual net. It has since been cleaned.

Meanwhile, I sat clueless in our family room nursing his little sister. I will admit I noticed it was unusually quiet. I looked down the hallway and saw the bathroom door closed. Curious, I peeked in. There he was, in all his naked glory, squatting with a toy net under his bottom and filled with some very impressive looking turds for a kid so small. Shocked, it took me a moment to react. He looked at me with a guilty look of being caught. Neither of us knew what to do. It was a moment frozen in time. Then, a release of laughter suddenly came over me. I squealed loud enough to bring Tristan's brother and father rushing into the room. Then they broke out in laughter too.

Afterwards, while trying to explain to him that its okay to get out of the tub to use the toilet, I giggled inside. Truthfully, I have no complaints. It was just one of those unforseeable things that make being a parent such a great adventure. Only time will tell what is next.