9.13.2011

.Poop.

It's only Tuesday and this week stinks already--

literally S T I N K S.

I am choosing my words carefully as I type because the words in my head contain cuss words and rather strong opinions that will most likely hurt someone's feelings..so..here I go, hesitant as I type.

I just need to vent a little, is that alright with you?--

Oh it is, G R A N D! Here I go!

Poop. I hate it. My job as a nanny over the past 2 years has exposed me to more poop, poop that is not my own, than I ever imagined possible. As a parent, I understand this becomes a daily "duty" and you probably get used to the smells, textures, and colors (maybe?).. Welp, I am not a parent which means all of the poop I am discussing, the poop that is not my own, is also not my childrens' poop--it's someone else's kids' poop. Because of this simple fact, I am and think I will always be, grossed out by POOP..(even when the time comes for my own children--ugh to poop!)

I began my nanny job when the girls were 13 months and 2.5 years old. This meant everyone was in diapers and the food being consumed by the girls was very similar to your average adult which can only conclude one thing about their poop: It was massive--explosive adult-like POOP!

I quickly made a new best: soap. Oh, how I love hand soap and all of their sweet aromas.

Other peoples' poop was now a part of my everyday life. Living the dream?--(Hmm, now that's one to ponder.) Honestly, I have loved my job and have truly been captivated by the little ones I watch and thank the Lord daily for giving me this opportunity to learn and grow as a "parent in training." I feel extremely fortunate for this on going experience because it has taught me a lot about myself and what type of caregiver/mother I will become.

That said, let me still emphasize how much I despise poop. I have been along for the ride through Grace's potty training and it was bad--all I am going to say on that matter. Now Joy is 3 and seems to be following her big sister's path regarding putting poop in the potty. There is never a "whoops--I had a pee accident"--nope, it always goes a little something like this..

Me-"Girls, what is that smell?"
Grace- "Not me!"
Joy- "Maybe it was Colden." (my dog)
Me- "Joy, did you poop in your pants?"
Joy- "No, I did not. Grace did you?"
Grace- "No, look!" (as she pulls her pants down and "bares" all)
Me- "Joy, come with me to the bathroom please."

...

Every time she poops, she lies to me about it. I do my best at attempting to understand the thoughts of a 3 year old.."maybe she is embarrassed..maybe it really did slip out and even surprised her"..but then I think.."she knows she did it..i mean, she had to literally push it out and let's face it--it S T I N K S, everyone can smell it!" I pray daily for wisdom and guidance at how I speak to her, the tone of my voice, and the actions I take.

Today, I got angry..sad but true.

Angry that her teachers did not change her (trust me, the smell was like walking into a wall)--angry Joy did not speak up and tell her teachers she had to go potty and angry she did not tell them she went potty in her pants.  I realized she had pooped the second she stepped into my car from the car pool line. I realized she may have felt embarrassed around the other children so I drove my car around to the back corner of the parking lot and backed in so I could change her in the back without anyone seeing, even noticing us. Well--this poop accident was too much for me to handle. The poop spilled out of her pull up onto her thighs and back. I frantically used the baby wipes to prevent poop from getting on her dress and in my car (the one my husband just had cleaned) but failed miserably.

It was already on her dress and on the car mat.

The smell was enough to kill ya--I stuck my shirt over my nose and breathed through my mouth convincing myself this technique works. I felt like every time I wiped, I was only spreading the thick, play dough like, green poop on her little body more and more. It was awful. After a few minutes of gagging and wiping, her skin tone returned and the green was no more.

The drive home was nothing but a cruel mental game with myself. My hands were not washed (since we were in the parking lot) and even though I used hand sanitizer, my mind was visualizing the little green poop germs spreading from my hands..to my wrists..to my arms..it was terrible. The stench was trapped in my nose hairs and tortured my stomach the entire ride home.

I hate poop.

When we got home, I changed Joy's outfit, wiped her bottom/back/thighs with a warm rag and put a new, fresh pull up on her and tucked her into naptime.

And now, here I sit, still smelling the poop and still imagining it on my hands even after washing and scrubbing my skin dry.

My day was going really well and then--poop decided to ruin it all. Am I overreacting?--It may seem it to you, especially if you are a parent or teacher of pre-school, but poop simply S T I N K S and puts me in a sour mood. I try not to let it--but it always wins! I had to get out my thoughts and hopefully I did a good job and keeping in the things I needed to in my head.

If not, sorry guys, poop just S T I N K S ! ! !

14 comments:

  1. Sorry. Same thing happened to me when my daughter was around 4. She was potty trained. But obviously had an accident at school. She later told me she was too scared to ask to go to the bathroom. When she entered the car, the smell almost knocked me out. I too tried to clean her up right away in the parking lot. It was a nightmare. I was extremely mad at the school for letting my daughter be soiled for who knows how long. There is was no humanly possible way to ignore the smell. I feel your pain. Remember, all children have accidents. Even though, she is not your child, hopefully one day you will have your own and god will bless you with patience. In The meantime, light a candle & listen to some favorite tunes.

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  2. Oh Katie, days like that are going to happen with three little girls. Shame on the school for not helping her, hope is was not too sore from it sitting in her pants. The smell whether it is your own child or not, stinks. That is why we called it Stinkies. It will pass and only be a memory in a few years. Smell or bake something good to get it out of your nose.

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  3. Awwww. :( Poor you. :( Poop DOES stink. And this is really sad. :( Shame on those teachers for not changing her...and you know they smelled it!

    I've never changed a diaper of a child that isn't mine...and I think I like it that way just fine. I never could even babysit as a teen because bodily functions gross me out. That sounds really pathetic...but it's true.

    Hope you wake up tomorrow with smell of pumpkin spice and pretty things!

    xoxo

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  4. Ugh I'm sorry that happened to you. I remember when my son was three and was sick and we didn't know it, and he pooped all over himself at the outdoor mall and these teenage girls sat there and laughed at him and told him how gross he was. I felt bad for him, yet thoroughly grossed out myself. Just remember that story for when you give the toast at her wedding someday :)

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  5. I'm sorry... I fought with myself about whether or not to type this, but... some of this made me giggle a little bit. Obviously not the part about the poor child marinating in her own poop for whoever-knows-how-long; that's just cruel. But I giggled at the title... your blog is so homey and pretty and with a title like "poop" it's pretty funny if you think about it. And then your carefully sprinkled "I hate poop" and such throughout... I'm sorry... I had to giggle. Does that mean I'm still a toddler in my brain and the word is still funny? :P

    Anyway. I definitely understand where you're coming from. I work for LabCorp, and although I'm in a cushy desk job now, I worked in the lab for a while. I had to deal with the frozen samples, and guess what sample is often frozen? Poop! And they were in paint cans. Sterile cans that were no different than paint cans other than that they were sterile and never had paint in them. And they smelled! Even frozen, even with the tight seal of the can lid... it STUUUUNK so bad. And then other times I had to work putting the samples coming into the lab into the computer and putting our labels on them and such... and I had to deal with "fresh" poop samples sometimes... not frozen in a can but simply a small container of poop (not solid if it was in the container) or a smear on a card. EEW. EEW EW EW EW EW!! At least you love those girls... this is other people's poop (remember that song OPP? LOL) and I don't know or love these people and I get that they're sick but POOP SMEARED ON A CARD?! COME ON PEOPLE.

    I'm done. Sorry for my comment being almost as long as your own post!

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  6. oh mam, how extremely frustrating and upsetting for both you and her! that (literally) stinks-there is no way school should have sent her home like that, either.

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  7. So- I don't normally like reading (or thinking) about poop- HOWEVER, I have babysit two little girls (one day a week) for the last few years. THANK GOD they are out of diapers now. I HATED changing diapers. I have a little one now and she was potty trained at 26 months... because there was no way I was going to change the poop as she got older. I feel ya!

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  8. Oh dear. It's frustrating that her teachers didn't change her. I hate the "explosive" and uncontainable ones. It's not fun when they're your own kids either, but it is a little different. I hope that the rest of the potty training goes quickly! Just out of curiosity, would she do it as much if she was in regular underwear instead of pull ups? Obviously not for school, but at home maybe? And maybe you've tried that too! Good luck. I also giggled a little. You are so cute.

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  9. oh man the same thing happened to me when i was a nanny!! the youngest girl was for whatever reason afraid to poop in the toilet so she would poop in her pants. the parents really didn't discipline her so she kept doing it! it was awful!!! i feel your pain.
    on a plus side, we're doing a giveaway on our blog...maybe you could win it and make you week a little better? :)

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  10. I definitely agree that that was horrible of her teachers not to change her and just let her sit in her waste, but oh my! I did giggle at the changing scenario and not being able to wash your hands. I *love* my children, but I am not a huge fan of poop, and I also have to change lots of poops of children who are not my own. I don't think anyone can say that they love it, or the smell that it produces. Heck! Both my kids are potty trained and I still hide my nose under my shirt when I have to wipe them. Definitely light a yummy fall candle or bake away!

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  11. Lolz. Maybe this is why I dread having a baby. I love kids, dont get me wrong, but poop makes me rethink. But I wonder how the teacher never changed her and let her sit in it. Poor thing. I think a bunch of muffins will help...bake a cinnamon one! :)

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  12. Oh yuck...I count my lucky stars every day that Christian was potty trained before 2.5 and has NEVER has an accident (not even at night). We'll see if I'm as lucky with Eden. However, I went through a similar circumstance with my goddaughter..and it was all over my back seat, her car seat and the mat. I swear sometimes I think it's STILL stuck in my nose and that was back in 2004! Haha! This might sound dumb, but look up what poop is made of, it might help it seem less nasty, and more natural...although it still stinks to high heaven regardless of what it is!

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  13. Poor Katie....Poop is so much worse when it's not your own child. Trust me. I cannot wait to wash my hands after I've changed little Cedar. When I change Lucy's it doesn't seem so bad. Like hers is purer or something! Silly. But I just thought I'd encourage you that it won't be as bad when it's your own. :) Nursing was another job when you could really mean it when you'd say your day was sh*tty. :)

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