I must confess … that I am about to join the realm of true Mummy bloggers by sharing a potty training story (even though my kids are now 19 & 16!).
Miss 16 was about 2 1/2 when we visited the shops for the day while Mr 19 was at preschool.
So there I was in the middle of Big W at Carindale, browsing through racks of clothing when I suddenly realised that little Miss had wandered off. Looking around, I quickly spotted her across the aisle, in the baby goods department. You know – where they keep all the nappies, baby baths, bottles, bibs … and POTTIES.
Now, please remember that my little Missy was TWO and had only recently been potty trained. So when I saw her sitting on one of the potties, I immediately thought, “Oh no, she hasn’t”.
Oh yes, she had!
I certainly couldn’t rouse on her for doing what usually elicited much praise and rewards. So I hurriedly helped her to pull up her knickers – only to discover that underneath her dress, she was wearing a skirt from the last store we had been in. Had my two year old just won the award for “Youngest Shoplifter in the Country”?!
Oh the shame! Oh how I laughed!
What on earth was I to do with a used potty?! It was a very fancy potty, designed to look like a mini toilet, complete with lid. So placing the lid down, I took it up to the Service Desk and explained my wee problem. The young girl behind the counter looked horrified. “Don’t worry, it’s only a Number One,” I reassured her before handing it over.
Should I have bought the potty? At that time we were on a very limited budget, and couldn’t really afford to buy such a fancy potty that we didn’t even need!
I did however take back the skirt that little Missy had managed to shoplift without me realising. The staff were amazed that I would even bring it back after we’d gotten away with the crime in the first place!
So is Miss 16 embarrassed that I’m sharing this story on the blog for all to see? Not at all – in fact she sometimes asks me to tell her friends, because she likes to make people smile and laugh.
Besides, it’s old news really – I’ve already used this story in my first book “Clues to your Calling” – which you can find out about here!