Jenny still requires assistance with wiping after going to the bathroom. That’s fine. I don’t mind.
But she doesn’t announce her intentions of using the bathroom before doing so. Thus I often find myself becoming vaguely aware of a little voice coming from a different part of the house calling for me to help her. And there are times I’m sure that voice has been calling for more than a few minutes before I recognized it for what it is. I always feel a little bad that she’s been left to sit there for some time feeling abandoned. The worst is when I’ve been outside and I just happen to go in for something and I hear her. I wonder what would happen if I hadn’t gone in for whatever reason.
Now I know.
On one trip through the house, I saw that the downstairs bathroom door was closed, but didn’t think much of it. I have a toddler who enjoys opening closed doors and closing open doors. Everybody was outside playing on our swings, jumping in the neighbor’s trampoline, engaging in a mock court martial (military kids – go figure). Everybody except Jenny. She had been there, but at some point had gone inside and hadn’t come back out. I didn’t notice her absence for at least a half hour. Bill was reading a book for school, and I was actually enjoying a newspaper while the chicken was baking in the oven.
Eventually, though, it was time to go in and Bill began to police up our kids. That’s when I realized I hadn’t seen Jenny for a while. I recalled that she had been a little cranky that afternoon – a sure sign of tiredness – and I was in the process of sending Katie upstairs to see if she had fallen asleep when I saw that closed bathroom door again. Sure enough, she was in there waiting for help.
And sure enough, she was tired and had fallen asleep. On the toilet.
The girl’s got a great sense of balance. I suppose it helps make up for an inattentive mother.
Reit This Way 
Aw! Poor thing! Happens around here, too, though. Rosie fell asleep in her uneaten lunch last week.
Oh, that is too cute. Poor li’l girl.Of course, you do have some excuse. Unlike my poor mother, who forgot me at Latch-Key once and has never lived it down. :-p
It was the same situation that prompted me to put one of < HREF="http://www.bell-outlet.com/deskbell.htm" REL="nofollow">these<> in the kid’s bathroom. No one fell asleep, but that red ringed bum just made me feel awful!
LOL…Charlotte is 4 too…and I’m so sick of hearing “MOMMY COME WIPE MY BUTT!” Her little sister is way more independent. She will come out with the wash cloth tucked between her butt cheeks when she needs assistance. I was thinking my 4 yr old was just needy, but purhaps it’s just a 4 yr old thing.
Bwahahahahahahahaha!You are the same kind of mom as the rest of us, loving and kind!
My 5 yo still needs help. She usually comes to bathroom closest to me — I think she may have learned that the hard way, though!
Oh poor thing…but I laughed so hard when I read your post I almost choked… 🙂I think there is a reason these are called the “wiping years”
you know, i think i prefer this to T’s method which is to loudly announce, no matter where we are, “i have to go poop! mommy, you can wipe my bum!” this is particularly charming in restaurants and grocery stores. when daddy’s around, she bestows the privilege on him, like it’s a great honor. ha!
That will make a great story when she’s older!
I think I would have shown no mercy and captured the moment on film to share with future prom dates.I loved this post!