Pint-Size Peccadillo

So today my son told me he had a secret he needed to tell me. "Just promise you won't get all confused and mad about this one, Mommy, okay?" he said. More amused than anything else (although admittedly a tad concerned), I asked him what the secret was. "Well," he said, "remember when we had the dog and he had a blanket he slept on? Oh, promise me you won't get mad!" By this time he was curled up in a ball on the couch, covering his face. He's so dramatic sometimes.

I have to mention that more often than not I don't get truly "mad" about the stuff he does. I may speak in a stern voice or remind him about his marble jar, which, when filled to a particular level, allows him to choose a prize from the prize bucket in the cupboard. I have yelled on occasion. But mad? I'm not saying it never happens, but most of the time I'm somewhere between amused and generally annoyed by the strange little things he does. But I digress.

Anyway, I told him it was okay to tell me the secret. "Well," he said, "one time when I really had to pee...I PEED UNDER THE DOG'S BLANKET! Just don't be mad about it!"

I laughed. That blanket was washed long ago and I don't recall seeing any evidence of my son's, um, lack of control on the carpet (although I will be checking, I guarantee you). "You were only three years old then, you know," I told the kiddo. "Now you're five and you know the only place you pee is in the toilet, right?"

"Right," he said, brightening, "but one time when I was in the pool at Daddy's house, I had to pee and he let me pee in the bushes." We agreed that peeing in the bushes is okay in certain circumstances and must be approved by Mommy or Daddy.

Getting back to the subject at hand, I told my son that 2+ years is a long time to keep a secret like that, and it's better to tell Mommy about these things right away (or not do them). "It sure is, Mommy," he said. "I've been keeping that secret for a long time. That's why I've been telling you other things instead."

Well, golly. Now I'd better check the carpet...