When Brady was little, he was obsessed with vacuuming. This is actually kind of funny since Eric and I met selling vacuum cleaners! Anyway, every morning after breakfast, he would vacuum the entire house. Brady was almost two. This went on for about a year and a half. Every morning. After breakfast. I'm not kidding. Even throughout the day, if he found a crumb on the floor or a fuzzy, he would want to get the cleaner out. We started to worry that he might have OCD. We talked with the pediatrician and she didn't seem to think it was cause for concern.
Fast forward 6 years later...and Brady has zero interest in vacuuming these days. I sure do miss that little boy. He was always so anxious and willing to help. He liked to keep his things nice and tidy. He once told my in-laws who were babysitting at the time, that they needed to put away the one toy before getting another one out to play. He always put the toilet seat down. He wasn't forgetful because his mind was distracted with all sorts of other things.
Last night I went into Brady's bathroom and I immediately thought he forgot to flush the toilet because the pee smell was so strong. Nope, that wasn't it at all. There was a nice puddle of pee on the floor next to the toilet. This never use to happen...but lately is it happening more and more often. And, I'm tired of it. The toilet seat cover was also wet. Because he's always in a hurry and careless, I have to now clean this up? Well, not anymore. I made him strip down to his undies and wear the big yellow rubber gloves to clean it up. I wanted to get a picture...but it wasn't the time. The part that makes me so mad, is that he was insulted that I was so upset and that he had to clean it up. After he cleaned up the floor and the sides of the toilet, he got a bath, and I did a more thorough cleaning and mopped the floor. Eric took apart the toilet seat and we gave it a good cleaning.
We're now making Brady sit his skinny butt on the toilet when he goes to the bathroom. At least for awhile until he can learn to be more careful and respectful. This is just one of those things I have little tolerance for.
I sure do miss that boy that vacuumed everyday. He loved to help...and he never talked back either. Oh well, at least I have the memories!
~Kerri
24 comments:
Oh my gosh, he is supah adorable in those pictures. And fear not, I feel your pain, truly I do...ah, life with boys...
the smell of pee.... yep.... everyday in my life. my five year old hits every surface EXCEPT the water! ugh.
Whenever I walk into the bathroom and smell the "pee" smell I immediately start searching! I keep Clorox bleach wipes in every bathroom, and if I dare catch them peeing with the seat down....look out for the wrath of Mom!!
A sign above our toilet says...
"If you sprinkle when you tinkle be a sweety and wipe the seaty." That's a nice way of saying "CLEAN UP YOUR DARN MESS!"
He resembles my grandson, he was such a good helper when he was 2 & 3. Now that he's 8 not so good. His poor mother. Another fact: When he was little he would get up super early and wanted to do something. He'd dust, sweep, whatever we told him. But the hard fact is, when he's old enough to do real work, he'll never get out of bed in the morning... be warned.!!!
those pictures are adorable! That is so funny that he was so into the vacuum.
And hopefully cleaning up his own mess will teach him a lesson! I've had to do that a few times with our little girl- it's a whole new ballgame if THEY have to clean it up!
Last summer I made the boyz clean their bath because it was just so disgusting...wish it hac helped:(
Btw...the average age of the septic guy was 60...maybe they were cradle robbers!
Last summer I made the boyz clean their bath because it was just so disgusting...wish it hac helped:(
Btw...the average age of the septic guy was 60...maybe they were cradle robbers!
Oh girl, I feel for you. I am so afraid of that with Boyd, but I know it's coming. I always complain to Kevin because even HE can't aim into the toilet. (he would shoot me for saying this! haha). I always feared having a boy that would make my house smell like pee. I think you and Eric did the right thing. I think Brady will learn quickly from this, he is such a great kid!
I love the pictures of him using the vacuum. Isn't it funny how their interests change?!
I am seriously borderline ocd when it comes to having things clean. My daughter on the other hand is not. Her room makes me insane. I am actually attacking it myself this week while she is at her dads. Needless to say she probably is going to hate me when she gets home. She had her chance to do it herself. Now its mommy's turn. The bathroom is my biggest pet peeve. Thank goodness I don't have boys LOL
Good for you for having him clean it up. I can't believe he wanted to vacuum the whole house everyday when he was little, that must have been awesome!
Ummmm...wait til he's in 4th grade! (the grade I teach) The boys hate it when I do the potty inspection! I see them start shaking...hee hee hee. It is a matter of respect! :)
Oh, the joy!
J
Good for you to make him clean it up. He will learn after awhile. Wait until he turns into those teen years....
OK Kerri, don't get mad at me but at first I was crying when I saw those pictures of a sweet toddler and read your words about how much he helped, etc, and now he is all grown up, then I started cracking up (that is where you might get mad). I have heard from so many moms of boys that they do this. I haven't had this happen yet with Parker but I do find myself saying, "hey watch where you are aiming!!!" more times than I care to. Whodathunkit? I mean, I figured once they learned how to do it, they wouldn't be spraying all over the place. **sigh**
LOL, I can honestly say this doesn't happen in my house with girls...LOL But my neighbors complain about it all the time! Throw a few cheerios in the bowl when he goes and tell him to aim at them. Little boys love challenges! LOL
Have a great night!
Blessings,
Jill
Boys - so glad I've got a girl. You will be making his future wife very happy that you are nipping this in the bud - because it often doesn't get better even when they are older - right?
Having had 4 boys it was always a struggle..especially when there were contests to see who could pee the fastest, the farthest, make the most bubbles..then one day I happened upon the video they made of flushing the toilet with poo in it..anyway, I did survive and so did they... barely.
Yep! We are going through this, too. I mean, geez! Slow down long enough to aim! Going to steal your idea and make mine clean the who
E bathroom the next time it happens. Love it!
That is so intriguing that Brady loved to vacuum so much and you two met selling vacuums. There's got to be some connection.
Only girls here so luckily pee'ing on the floor is not one of our MANY issues. Now flushing? That IS on our list. They are both freaked out by the toilet flushing. WHEN they do it, they stand as far away as they can, flush and RUN!
Hope Brady learned his lesson.
Hi Kerri! Thanks for the comment on my blog!!!
I am your newest follower now. :)
Your blog is great, I'll be back.
Funny about the pee story. Well, funny later, but not in the moment right?
I just wrote about a poop story on my blog tonight.
Oh the joys of motherhood.
Hi Kerri! Thanks for visiting me at my blog, Simplify. I am here to say hello and visit your blog! What a cute story about your son. I had to laugh. I grew up with all boys. I had to share a bathroom with 4 brothers!!! Yep! I learned early on that I had to TRAIN my brothers to use that toilet respectfully. I was NOT going to be their maid!!! They did, and they were great! I have 2 girls and 1 boy. I have insisted he always be respectful in this regard in bathroom manners too!! Good job Mama!!!!
Kris
Hi again. I have been looking at your previous posts, and came back to be your newest follower, and lo and behold, but who do I see, right before me? My daughter Gennifer!! She has left the comment above mine as well.
Anyway...love your blog. I will be coming back.
Good luck with WW. I post a lot of food ideas. I am an avid cook, and will apparently be a WW the rest of my life!
Your son looks so much like your husband!! And I LOVED his barn bed!!!!!
Kris
Brady's future mate will appreciate that you took the time to teach him this lesson -- I know I wish my MIL had done the same with my hubs ;-)
You go girl. Great solution. Stick to your guns.
Sweet Home Alabama! Finally, there's someone else besides me who gets it.
Now multiply that whole thing by about 10 and you would be visiting my two older boys bathroom. The down side to that is that I have wool berber carpet in their bathroom that now needs to be replaced, or ripped out. Boys!
The worst part is when you have to use the bathroom yourself and you run to the toilee really fast and lift the lid and there's pee all over it. Da*# it.
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