Cardiogirl 19 percent body fat 100 percent fun

2006-10-22

powder room expectations

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It�s funny how some things are just ingrained in your head from such a young age that it�s nearly impossible to re-assign the mental image.

According to my mother, I was potty trained by the age of two because parents didn�t mess around in the late 60�s and early 70�s. I�m not sure how far back the human mind records memories, but I do have a vague bathroom-related recollection.

I had to go and I beat feet to get into our pink bathroom. In the process, I slipped and skidded into the bathroom along the tile floor and rammed head first into the bathtub. It gets fuzzy after that. I�m not sure if I held my bladder or not, but I suppose this qualifies as my Earliest Memory. I wonder what the Freudians among us would say about that.

The point is I�ve been able to restrain my bladder for a good 36 years or so now. Along with being able to work the equipment, I have come to expect the facilities to look a certain way, i.e., I anticipate walking into the bathroom and finding the toilet filled with clear water.

My washroom expectation has been given a run for its money since living with three children under the age of six. Four of the five inhabitants of this house are certified boudoir users. I also have a baby who is firmly in diapers.

Anyway, while the two children are certified users they are certainly not thorough about the job. Child #1, who is 6, has finally stopped announcing that she will be using the bathroom and just does the deed quietly. That is cool.

Child #2, who is 3, is lingering a bit in the announcement stage and occasionally requests an audience. Still cool, since I am not directly involved in the actual experience, but am merely a bystander.

What both children lack is follow through. They both frequently forget to flush the toilet. And that is not cool.

This is diametrically opposed to my rudimentary expectation of visiting the wash room and finding a clear receptacle. Each time it happens--which is roughly five to seven times daily--I find myself shocked and appalled.

So I've been pondering the following: will my expectation of a clear latrine ever be altered (I hope not) or is 36 years of routine stronger than the transient lavatory habits of three little girls?

I guess the jury�s out until Child #3 joins the powder room fray.

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2006-10-22 at 1:53 p.m.

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