We’re still in diapers and, admittedly, I haven’t put much time, thought, or effort into potty training my 22-month-old. So maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about here, but seriously … isn’t it just a bit uncouth to lean your recently potty-trained toddler over curbs, shrubbery, and boutique shoe stores to pee? Yes, public peeing.
They’re toddlers, not street vagrants or dogs. What’s with this public urination trend that’s taking over my city? I’ve even seen some parents cradling their kids’ butts in such a way that they can poop in public!
Color me scandalized. I mean, why bring a plastic baggie when you could just bring an extra pair of pants?
Perhaps I’m a bit Victorian in my child-rearing, but I believe a good accident can go a long way in teaching proper elimination dos and don’ts and testing your child’s readiness for the responsibilities of a diaper-free lifestyle. I believe this whole public elimination thing is a result of premature potty training.
I swear, it’s the parents that brag about how early little Junior was out of diapers that I see using a pooper-scooper to clean up after him at the park. And those are the parents at fault for starting this now widely acceptable practice. It’s so pervasive that no one even bats an eye anymore; the art of the public lean has become a defacto fact of parenting, it seems. It’s the cool thing to do, for god’s sake! The other day my son yanked off his diaper so he could pee on a tree like the big kids.
I can’t help but wonder when phase two is supposed to kick in, you know, the part where you train them not to urinate and defecate in public?
Have you noticed a similar trend on your playgrounds? Have you ever done the public lean?
Image via Josephers/Flickr
