Every child has a few, wildly creative ways they articulate the world around them. We’re having “han-ga-bers” with ketchup for dinner; when we drive on the freeway it’s the “fast road.” When our first born was just a toddler she complained of an itch on her “front butt.” Seems reasonable, after all it does look the same from the front to the back on her body. I taught her the correct terminology but for simplicity we continued to follow her lead and refer to either her “front butt” or “back butt,” unique terms that have been handed down to her little sister along with her Hello Kitty PJs.
Like many parents, I haven’t used the toilet alone since my first child was born seven years ago. This shared bathroom time has made for some pretty interesting conversations. One memorable trip to a public restroom resulted in my then 3-year-old daughter shouting, “Wow mama, you have a lot of HAIR on your butt!” She was referring to my “front butt” of course.
On another memorable trip to the toilet recently, my second daughter asked about the hair on my “front butt” and as always I explained that she would have hair there when she was older. There was silence while her brain processed this information. While washing my hands she asked,
“Will I grow a pickle too?”
“A pickle?!? What are you talking about?” I asked.
“You know, a pickle like Daddy.”
Aha, no sweetheart, but perhaps we’re overdue for an anatomy lesson in our house.
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