One night a few years ago, I called out to my kids “Dinner’s ready! Go wash your hands!” as I had done a million times before.
I didn’t think there was any reason I needed to leave the kitchen, as the kids had mastered hand washing at this point…or so I thought.
Maybe they were a little hungrier than usual this night…
Maybe dinner was a few minutes later than normal…
It’s also possible that I had been giving a seven, five and three year old too much credit because before I could call out a second time, I heard the oldest of the bunch cry out, “Ewwwww! That’s disgusting!”
You see, since the line at the sink was long, one of the younger kids decided to soap up and rinse off in the toilet.
When I came upon the scene I recall inquiring why they thought a rinse in the toilet was a good idea. The response I got was “I didn’t want to wait, and you never said we couldn’t wash our hands in the toilet!”
Touché, young one. Touché.
It was true; I had never, in fact, said, “Do not wash your hands in the toilet.”
I learned a big parenting lesson that day – When dealing with small children you should always be very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very specific.
That’s why, when this scene recently unfolded, I knew I had no one to blame but myself.
Did you ever wish you were more specific with your kids? Leave me a comment and tell me what happened; I love hearing from you!
You might also enjoy 5 Tips for Staying Well (with kid specific tips like not washing your hands in the toilet too)!
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