Nov 17 2008
I swear, honey! It wasn’t me!
This goes back to that age old problem between men and women, husbands and wives, regarding leaving the toilet seat up or down!
Only, now it’s getting really interesting! It happened again this weekend! This isn’t the first time he’s done this to me!
I’m sitting on the couch, minding my own business, studying for my finals. My son, Ryan (4 years old) is sitting in the office playing his games on the computer. There is a bathroom off the office. Mary comes walking by and says:
Honey. You left the toilet seat up again. Could you please make sure you put it down when you’re done!
To which I replied:
What? It wasn’t me! I wasn’t even in there. It had to be Ryan.
Ryan doesn’t even look up from his game or the computer - cool as a cucumber:
It wasn’t me.
WHAT? Now my 4 year old is lying so as not to incur the wrath of the DOWN TOILET SEAT rant? Since when did it become MY fault ALL the time? I know I taught him he had to put that toilet seat down when he’s done.
Okay - back up a second. I still don’t even understand why it’s ALWAYS the guys’ job to put it back down. I’ve heard the following excuses:
Well. When I go to the bathroom at night - if the toilet seat is up, I fall in the toilet. To which my response is - so turn on the light!
or
It’s a courtesy for the guy to do that for the girl. To which I reply - so, in that case, isn’t it also a courtesy then for the girl to put it back up for the guy?
and, my all time favorite
You would do it for me if you loved me! WHAT?!?!?! Couldn’t the same thing be said for you? Since you won’t put it back up for me…does that mean you don’t really love me?
Anyway - back to the issue at hand. I know darned well that Ryan was the last one in that bathroom and that HE left that seat up! So, I marched right in that office - swung that swivel chair around, knelt down beside him so that he was looking at me eye-to-eye and asked him:
Okay - look - you and I BOTH know you were the last one in there. You left that seat up didn’t you?
He just smiled at me. That rat!
So, I asked him: Why did you tell your mom that it wasn’t you?
He said: Because you always get in trouble for it.
Okay - he KNOWS already! I immediately swept him up from that chair, put him over my shoulder, brought him in the bedroom, put him on the bed and tickled the snot out of him! Go ahead - tell your mom who left that seat up - tell her!
I guess he had a hard time spilling the beans considering he was being tickled.
In the end - all is well. But, hindsight is 20/20. I don’t think I taught him a lesson there at all. If anything, what he got out of it is that he can continue to blame me and all I’m going to do is tickle him again.
I fear that my hubby and son will come up with there are 2 of them and 1 of me so I should put the seat back up… Seriously, even as a woman I understand what you are saying.
Lucky for me because of the dog the seat and lid are always put back down, so in essence everyone has to lift something to go potty…
Well - if you’re successful in giving Hunter a playmate of the opposite sex - you can stay on level ground!
We have a golden retriever - we found that leaving the seat down didn’t make a difference with him..he would just lift up the seat with his nose and shove his whole head in there. I’m surprised he never actually got his head caught!
We find that we have to close the bathroom door to keep him out.
Really cute story. C’mon Dad, take the heat for the little guy. Chances are he’ll take plenty of heat himself when he’s all grown up.
Hahahaha! That is too funny!
As a single mom with a daughter we don’t have that problem in our house but I am sure it can be frustrating on both sides.
I loved your sons response…they sure learn early, don’t they?
-Circus - Oh–believe me - I take the heat ALOT for that little guy! But, you’re right - I don’t mind because he will most indeed take a lot of that heat when he gets older!
-Kiki - yes - you are very lucky then, I guess! LOL. My little guy has learned really quick. Although - his little sister has absolutely stolen my heart. I can tell already she’s going to get me in a lot more trouble with the wife than Ryan ever will! I can’t say No to her.