In the morning i like to go to the gym. I have been going there since the 1st grader was 6 months old. I have come to think of the people there as my gym family. When we arrive in the morning the two little boys always jump quickly out of the car and make it to the door long before I do (via the sidewalk, not the parking lot of course). They are welcomed with hellos from the trainers and owners and are made to feel like little VIP's.
Once my workout is done and the boys and i are leaving, we flow out much the same as the way we flow in. The boys have a huge start while i trail behind. They stop and talk to the people in the strip of stores that we pass that have their doors open, they wave to people pulling in to park, and they turn the faucet on that sprays the sidewalk with water. We do this every morning.
One store happens to be a beauty salon with a big picture window where little old ladies come in once a week for their daily hair appts. The middle child (4) announces his need to use the bathroom as he runs down the sidewalk. I yell back for him to wait til we get home. TOO LATE. Before i can get to him, the shorts are dropped and the roo's are at the ankles, he has a nice yellow arch and is situated smack dab in the center of the salon window. "NOOOOO!", i yell as i race to him. But once the flow begins, i have learned from experience, not to interfere too much to avoid a bigger problem. So instead, i grab my work-out towel and do a little dance to try and cover my sweet boy's privates from the onlooking little old ladies. I can hear the laughs and gasps from on-lookers while I'm sure others were mortified and announced... "i would never allow my child to do such a thing."
The middle child finishes up and has a big smile on his face. Not the kind of smile where he knew he did something wrong, more of a smile of achievement/mom aren't you so proud of me for not peeing in my pants face. He says, "look mom, i did it! I didn't have an accident! I'm a good boy!"
I was at a crossroads and had to make a decision fast. I could A) bend him over my knee, yell at him and ask WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?? or I could B) smile to the audience we created, vow to change my face with a plastic surgeon, decide this is great blogging material and just remind middle that we save those kinds of things for trees in the country and potties.... Today, I chose B.
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