Once upon a time, there was a prince and a vitamin... Oh wait, let me back up.
At three years old, Snuggles is just now tall enough for us to start teaching him how to stand up to pee. Until now, he preferred to sit down rather than use the step stool to stand up at the toilet.
To aid the learning process, Snuggles has been going into the bathroom with Guitarman to observe. His bathroom commentary (as reported by Guitarman) has been hilarious:
"Look, Daddy, you're making bubbles!"
"Woah, that's a lot of pee!"
"Daddy, you're making it rain!"
This commentary has been especially entertaining, not to mention comedic, since it frequently occurs in public restrooms. (Much to Guitarman's dismay.)
Throughout the process of potty training, we've been using common bathroom terminology. Initially we intended to use correct anatomical terminology, but we settled on the common terminology to avoid confusing Snuggles, since childcare providers typically use the common terms:
"Going potty" (urinate) "Poop" (self explanatory) and "Pee-pee" (Penis)
Since we started the process of teaching Snuggles to pee standing up, Snuggles has become more curious about the anatomical aspects of bathroom behavior. So, I decided it's time to teach Snuggles the correct terminology for his anatomy, especially since he asks so many questions about it.
As luck would have it, Guitarman is at camp this week. (Read this if you need to be reminded how much I *love* camp weeks.) While Guitarman is away, I've been accompanying Snuggles to the restroom to oversee the process. (Basically to ensure he doesn't urinate all over the bathroom.) This morning, as Snuggles stood in front of the toilet, he started with the usual conversation:
"Mommy, boys stand up to pee and girls sit down."
"Yes, that's right".
"Do you sit down to pee?"
"Yes, I sit down to pee because I'm a girl."
He thought about that for a minute and said, "Mommy, do you have a pee-pee?"
"No," I responded matter of factly, "Girls have a vagina and boys have a penis."
He accepted that answer without further question, and we went on with our morning routine.
An hour later, we arrived at Preschool, and Snuggles said he had to pee. I took him to the restroom, where he dutifully pulled down his pants and approached the toilet. As he started to pee, Snuggles looked up at me with a smile and proudly announced,
"Boys have a prince and girls have a vitamin."
I immediately realized he was referring to anatomy, but I was laughing too hard to correct him.
Never forget your vitamin, ladies, and always treat your husband like a prince! :-)
