When I started this blog I promised that I would not resort to bathroom or potty humor. But bathroom training is certainly an important part of parenting young children and some stories just need to be told!

Bathroom training is particularly challenging for a single parent with multiple children and/or children of the opposite sex for several reasons:

1. You don’t have a personal understanding of how the plumbing works in the opposite sex children.
2. You don’t exactly know the proper procedure for completing the job in opposite sex children.
3. You have to take them into public restrooms for the opposite sex. While it’s not so bad to take a young boy into the women’s restroom, I find it objectionable to take a young girl into the men’s restroom. (No disrespect intended to my fellow males, but I just don’t want my little girl watching to see what you’ve got while you’re standing at the urinal and I’m sure you don’t want her watching you!)
4. When you have more than one child and only one needs to go, then you have to take them both into the restroom.

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I love to read non-fiction books, particularly history and biography. And, I like to go to the movies. And I like to watch news, sports, and movies on television. But much of my current literary interests can be found in children’s books, videos, and television programs.

Trying to keep up with the toddlers, I can’t even tell you what’s going on in world events. I don’t know what the latest blockbuster movies or bestselling books are. And I don’t even know if my favorite sports teams are winning or losing.

I’m not saying this to complain. I’m saying this to explain that if there’s any personal development taking place in my life, it’s going to come from children’s books, animated videos, or kid’s television programs.

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I like to make preparations for the toddlers for the following day on the evening before.

Their clothes and their backpacks are prepared, packed and set out the night before.

Then, when we get up in the morning, we can eat breakfast, get dressed, and leave the house in an organized and timely manner so the toddlers can get to school and I can get to work on time.

Since everything is organized and prepared the night before, we should just go through our morning routine and leave for school and work without a hitch…

But no matter how will prepared I am, there must be thirty or more things I forgot to do or need to do as we rush out of the house and get in the car to leave for school and work.

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Whoever thought up daylight savings time obviously didn’t have small children.

Because if he did, he would know not to trifle with children’s bedtime routine.

Just when it seems you’ve got the children going to bed at a regular time and you’re even starting to get a full night’s sleep, then they say daylight savings time is starting…or stopping…again!

And it wrecks the whole bedtime routine!

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A few weeks ago I told you about an episode around our house in which I allowed the toddlers to play independently for a little while without continuously checking on them (see this post).

It led to a disastrous mess with Mentholatum spread all over the floor and walls of their bedrooms.

Well, another incident has occurred resulting from independent play. And, again it involves, you guessed it, Mentholatum!

As I said in the previous post, when left to their own devices, even a brief exercise in independence by the toddlers will often result in a household disaster.

So, I have to ask, what’s the deal with that Mentholatum?

It’s like the catnip of toddlers!