Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Overactive Bladder? Underactive Colon?


Every time I ask one of the children to something, do you know where he goes? He goes to the bathroom. He spends hours in the bathroom. He is the only child who does this (Since there are only two of them, that means that 50% of my children torture me with this little game.) It makes me want to scream.


Can I tell you a secret? Sometimes I do scream. This bathroom lock up is so annoying, it makes me sweat and itch just to think about it. EVERY SINGLE TIME I ask him to do something that is not related to eating junk food or playing XBox, he disappears.


Either he has a serious problem with an internal back up, probably requiring the assistance of a skilled surgeon or Fiber One cereal (or both), or it is an evasion tactic. I'm leaning towards evasion. (I would pass out if this kid ever ate Fiber One anything, but I digress. Again.)


Here is how it works..


Me: Hey, it's time to practice your violin.

Kid: OK

Time passes....

Me: I don't hear anything. Where are you?

Kid: I had to go to the bathroom.

More time passes...

Me: Did you fall in?

Kid: Nope, really had to go.

Me: For 2 hours?


This evasion technique, as developed by Kid #2, is so effective it completely subverts or deflects many of the following activities..



  • Room cleaning

  • Dishwasher emptying

  • Dinner table setting/clearing

  • Lawn mowing/raking/snow removal

  • Violin practice

  • Book reading

  • Homework completion

  • Aeronautical design

  • Rocketry

OK, those last two are things that he will probably miss because he's in the bathroom.


And, he's got me right where he wants me...if I yell at the kid in the bathroom I'll mess up his elimination activities forever. Yes, forever.


Is this melodramatic? Oh yes. Now if you would excuse me, I need to go pound on the bathroom door.

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