Monday afternoon, I had to wait to use the lottery machine in Country Mart. Can you believe somebody had the nerve to stand there buying tickets??? Anyhoo... I stood back, at the end of an unused checkout register. I was in front of the double doors.
A little boy came in by himself. Maybe 4 or 5 years old. He reminded me of young Genius. A little cutie with tousled brown hair.
"Are you going to the potty?"
I was sure I mis-heard. Did I LOOK like I was going to the potty? I hope not! It's not like my rumpus was hanging out.
"I'm sorry. I didn't hear you."
"Are you going to the party?"
Oh. Maybe this little guy was coming in to pick up cupcakes or something for a birthday party. And he was just randomly asking people if they were coming.
"I'm not sure what you're asking me."
"I have to go potty!"
"Oh! It's over there. In the corner. Go down that little hall. It's there."
Seriously. I was NOT going to take this child by the hand and walk him to the bathroom. I have no desire to be splashed all over the news, and locked up for the rest of my life. You don't go anywhere near another person's child and the bathroom these days.
The little guy wandered over, and stood looking in the direction of the hallway with the restrooms. A man came in, saw him there, and said, "Go on. It's right there. I'll be waiting here for you."
What kind of guy lets his kid walk into a grocery store alone? And then won't take him into the bathroom. If it wasn't his kid, he'd apparently been tasked with the job of taking him to the facilities. Which he was NOT doing satisfactorily.
The boy came back out rather quickly. He asked the man something, and was told, "No. We don't have time for that today."
Maybe he asked to have a party...
I can see how potty and party could get mixed up, that's why my kids said toilet :) I agree that man should have walked the child in and waited by the little hallway.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine sending a little kid in to ask a stranger! Where was that guy while the kid was trying to find the bathroom???
DeleteWow, who lets their kid go anywhere alone these days? My daughter worked at the YMCA close to her home for about 3 months, in the preschool. She liked it until the day the kid went potty in his pants. They were not allowed to clean the kid's butt and he stunk all day. Their policy was to stand outside the bathroom oor and provide the wipes and then tell the kid what to do before he put clean clothes on. Nothing quite like the smell of an unwiped butt!
ReplyDeleteThe Pony fell off the jungle gym on his very first day of school. When I got home, there was a message from the school nurse, saying not to panic if The Pony said she looked in his underwear. She DID. Because he hurt his butt. He had a giant bruise already when I looked. And also discovered that he was wearing TWO pair of underwear, having not removed the previous day's when he put on the fresh pair I laid out for him that morning!
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