Everyone has those days when time is short. This day was one of those. The doctor’s office was waiting and as usual
I didn’t manage my time and we were down to the last possibly minutes if we
were to arrive at the doctor’s on time.
My son,
Matthew, age three at the time, has to go to the bathroom and not the quick
one. I’m standing outside the closed
bathroom door trying to wait patiently, glancing at my watch and cringing. I ask at least a half-dozen times, “Are you
done?” and he replies, “Not yet.” I’m
tapping my foot and staring at my watch again, like that is going to stop time
or make my son do his duty any faster.
Finally,
after I can’t tell you how long, but long, I knock and open the door. Suddenly I didn’t know whether to burst out
laughing or throw up. There is Matthew
sitting on the toilet, his shorts down to his ankles, his feet swinging and the
toilet plunger stuck to his face. I
scream, “What are you doing?” He quickly removes the plunger and my insides shake
with laughter as his face has a red rim around it from the suction of the
plunger. He looks at me all nervous and
says, “I’m not doing anything.” Right.
As I wash
his face with anti-bacterial soap, ten times over, I explain how dirty and
gross a toilet plunger is and I explain what it’s used for. All the while I’m washing his face my stomach
is revolting from the grossness of it. But I also want to burst out laughing at
the sight he presented when I entered the bathroom.
Once we’re
out the door and in the car, for the thirty minute drive, I burst out laughing
more times than I can remember. It was
one of the funniest things I’ve ever witnessed and trying to keep a straight
face while explaining the seriousness of it to Matthew was hard.
When we got
home I stocked the bathroom with cars and books and hid the, much too fun to
play with, plunger.
All I can
say is thank God for these moments. Or
thank Matthew, who is now sixteen and horrified when I retell the story. I have laughed many times over the years from
this and many other crazy things my four boys have done. Although this one tops my list for a well
needed laugh, one I still laugh at after all these years.
