Concerns in an Uncertain World

Yesterday, as we were picking our boys up from daycare, we witnessed a parent who was just bent over their child's diaper not being changed quickly enough.

Not saying this isn't a viable concern. Trust me, I get it. I get agitated when it comes to my little one's tender hind end, too.

But... you don't really need to lose your head over it. It's something that a chat with their provider, and a bath and some tlc will take care of. When I say chat, I mean chat. I don't mean getting red in the face, cursing in front of small children, yelling at the teacher. I mean simply stating your concern in a cordial and diplomatic fashion, and moving on.

The worst part was, I had a "what if" cross my mind... followed quickly by an express desire to leave, quickly. The "what if" was "what if that guy snaps and brings a gun in to shoot the teacher over a diaper rash?" I sincerely hope that isn't the case... but he sure was acting a little out of hand for the situation, imo. (In today's world... you just never know.)

I've been there. Our last daycare left our younger son sitting in dirty diapers every.single.day. It was frustrating, especially since the little guy will come to you and tell you he's dirty. I taught him that early, in order to make sure he could communicate what he needed. He knows how to sign diaper, and he knows how to tell you it's dirty.

Why did I do that? Because I know it can sometimes be tough to catch a toddler diaper when they are often rushing past you. Especially if they have been playing outside. If they don't say anything, and you aren't right on top of them, you may not catch the issue until it's time to come in and get them ready for pick up.

When the issue started to become a routine, and his butt was read every.damned.day...I didn't lose my head over it, I simply mentioned to her that he says "dirty" and "butt" when his diaper is dirty. When that didn't cure the issue, we dealt with it accordingly. I didn't yell at her, I didn't curse in front of the other kids (mind you, due to the situation at hand, I could have, but I didn't). I simply documented it and reported her, since talking to her didn't seem to do the trick.

It's an honest mistake. Everyone is human. But losing your head and yelling and screaming, and stomping your feet does nothing but make other kids fear you... and teach your kid that it's okay to act that way.

I'm far from perfect. But when it comes to my children... I always think of them first. I always think of how they see me...and I want to pass behavior traits on to them that will help them be successful in life.