To Pee, or not to Pee...

I have a distinct memory of Reagan at about 18 months old. He was playing in the bathtub as I sat on the floor reading a book. I heard a gut-level belly laugh and glanced over to see him standing in the tub peeing. He was quite literally shrieking with glee at this discovery. I chuckled to myself not realizing that this moment was the first of many pee-centered experiences I would have with this boy. 

I'm not sure what it is - the ability to pee while standing, the specialized hardware they have for the deed or every boy's fascination with all things potty-oriented, but I have discovered that peeing seems to be a specialized event on a regular basis. Below are real life pee-related situations. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

Reagan was potty trained during the summer. Lets just say that our yard was well marked and our poor neighbors likely saw more of him than they ever thought possible. He had gotten in the habit of just going outside to pee more often then he would use the actual bathroom. "Mama gotta go" and I'd hear the backdoor slam. The first chilly-day of fall I told him he would have to start using the real bathroom all the time and he mourned as if he had lost his best friend. No joke, I think he cried almost every time he went to the bathroom that day. Summer couldn't come back fast enough.

I'd like to take a moment to introduce you to Reagan's cousin Judah. Well, actually, Judah is my cousin. We have age-spacing problems in my family therefore most of my cousins are closer in age to my kids than to me. Anyway, Reagan and Judah are buds in every sense of the word. They're two years apart but most of the time you wouldn't notice.

Last Spring the boys were playing together in the yard. Judah had discovered the magic of outdoor peeing the summer before and as Reagan moseyed his way over to a tree and began his duties. I heard a frantic, "Weagan, Wait for meeeeeeee" as Jude ran to join him. Shrieks of laughter ensued and so began a summer-long pee-relationship. Both back yards had their territories well marked. 

Ok, to be honest, the pee relationship didn't end with the summer weather. Jude was up to play a few months ago and both boys were alone in the bathroom. I should have known better than to let two boys alone in the bathroom, but alas, I must have been checking facebook doing something important. I heard laughter and poked my head into the bathroom to discover both boys standing on the counter attempting to pee into the toilet. 4/6 year old boys have not yet finessed their aiming abilities, especially from such a challenging angle. They definitely mostly missed the toilet. It was not a fun mess to clean up, which is why I had Brian do it. It seemed like a male-responsibility if you ask me. 

Reagan's main buddy other than Judah is, of course, Anna. I suppose it is normal for little sisters to want to be like their big brothers, but I was definitely caught off guard this past summer when I heard crying coming from the back yard. I went out to find Anna standing in the middle of the yard, pants at her ankles, sobbing as if the world was coming to an end. I asked her what had happened and through her tears she said, "I just wanted to pee like Reagan." I tried to explain to her that it just didn't quite work that way for girls. After she was cleaned up and happily playing again, Reagan pulled me aside and asked me when Anna was going to get her pee-pee. When I told him that boys and girls are different so Anna won't ever get a pee-pee, he looked at me with sad eyes and sadly said, "I'm so sorry." 

I could go on... I definitely have more, but I will leave you with this. Last Spring we were enjoying a lovely picnic in Lancaster County Park with my family when I glanced over and spotted this: 

 

The best part was the women unanimously gasped in horror, while the men all responded with lots of "way to go Reagan" and "that's awesome". Men Boys, they never grow up.