This archive report was first published on 5 September 2019.
As a parent, you learn to expect the unexpected, but sometimes even the most seasoned among us can be caught off guard. I recall a particular Sunday morning when my young son, who had become attached to his potty, insisted on taking it with us to church. I underestimated the strength of this attachment until we got into the service and he pulled an SOS on me.
His words, 'Daddie... Pottie... What? Pottie... Pupu... Poop in the diaper... Ah ah, pottie,' left no doubt about what he needed. I tried to ignore him, thinking he would get too pressed and relieve himself, but that was a mistake. He slid into tantrum mode, and I had to make a hasty exit from church to take him to the potty.
As we navigated the potholed roads, the stench in the car became unbearable, and a swarm of flies took interest in our vehicle. I was swatting flies off the car while trying to avoid potholes, all while my son made faces that words cannot describe. It was a battle we had lost.
Looking back, I realized that sometimes as parents, we need to put our child's needs above our own pride and embarrassment. If only I had reacted quicker when he first mentioned what he wanted, I might have salvaged the situation. But in the end, it was a valuable lesson in the importance of being responsive to our children's needs, even in public.
