Tuesday, January 06, 2009

I Will.

I get really tired of cleaning urine from around the toilet seat.

Wait. Let me rephrase that.

I get really, really fed up with cleaning urine from around the toilet seat, on the walls, bathtub, shower curtain, and ceiling.

Yes, I said ceiling.


That's the hand a mother is dealt when blessed with boys.

More specifically, boys who have a hard time aiming when they wake up in the middle of the night and are lucky just to find the toilet bowl. And boys who are zombie-tired in the morning with hours of built up fire-hose pressure in their bladder from a long night's snooze. And boys who wait til the very last mili-second to go because they are afraid they will miss out on something really, really important.

It's something I have been struggling with for a very long time.

I've tried everything. Floating fruit loops. Incentives. Lectures. Begging. Pleading. Crying.

And then the epiphany came. This week in fact. After a long emotional weekend of going through the stuff of someone you have loved and lost.

New perspectives.

When I clean my bathrooms this week- urine and all- I will try to do it with a new perspective.

Because, one day (and it's really not that far away) that boy will be gone. Grown. On his own.

And I will wish so badly, that I could go back to cleaning the urine from around the toilet seat.

9 comments:

'T' said...

True true... Pres Monson gave a similar quote/thought about that exact same thing... I would have been funny if he would have talked about toilets instead of laundry :O)

Katie M. said...

I am looking forward to the day with wyatt and baby brother-jk. Maybe Porter could clean the toilets, and you can still love and appreciate him.

Shawn and Megan Atwood said...

Thanks Nat, I needed that. Sounds like we have the same situation......or should I say, sounds like we have the same wonderful blessing of dirty toilets:)

kristina said...

Way to look at the positive of bathroom/toilet cleaning! I too will try to take that attitude on when cleaning up all the different trails of stuff left here and there, after a rushed morning with all the kids. It is so true, one day they will be gone and I will wish for all of the messes!

Shelby said...

Amen sister!!

I have those moments too often and wonder why it is we are the ones cleaning it time and time again. Thanks for putting a positive twist on it and so ture, what a blessing they are. Love ya.

Nicole Williams said...

Thank you for that! Great perspective!

Ms. Fish said...

I have three boys. My husband had your same feelings...and he never felt like he could get the area totally clean with just a sponge. So he decided to take charge. He installed a kitchen sprayer in the vanity cabinet next to the toilet and put a drain in the flor, put a tiny slope on the floor so the water would run towards the drain. We tiled all around the toilet and the voilah! All we had to do was hose that baby down with soap and hot water.

Pretty drastic measures! And pretty funny! And pretty clever! I think all new homes should be built with one.

Love your thoughts though...It's all about perspective. And tolerance. And passing on the urine cleaning to his wife! (Hey, adults still splash!)

Sarah Owens said...

I would have to say cleaning toilets is my least favorite thing to do.....well dishes comes in a close second. I don't have any little boys running around just one very big kid that thinks it's funny to time the flush to be done right when he is finished relieving himself. Where do they come up with these bathroom games

Tonya said...

I love your new perspective. If there is a day it gets thrown out the window in frustration...you have "said boy" clean it off the ceiling, shower curtain, etc and when he complains how hard it is, gently remind him that when he is deliriously tired, it's more than okay to SIT.

Can you tell I have a boy too (and all brothers)??? LOL!