I don’t remember exactly when it started, but my daughter (4) has a potty obsession. Now I’m not talking about using the bathroom. It’s more innocent than that. She is obsessed with the actual bathrooms themselves!
Before we leave the house, I do the mom thing and ask, “Did everyone go potty?” Of course the standard response is they have or they don’t need to go.
What’s the first thing I hear as soon as we get out somewhere? “Mom, I have to go potty.”
I know this is normal behavior for a four year old. But what about this? When I ask Melia if she wants to go somewhere with me, the first thing she generally asks is, “Do they have a potty there?” Most times I’m pretty sure she only wants to go so she can check it out.
At a restaurant, the first thing she needs to do as soon as we arrive is go potty. If we are out and we need to make more than one stop, it typically includes a bathroom visit at each place. Even if the stops are within 20-30 minutes of each other, she will still manage to have to go.
Standard things I hear when we get to visit one? “Look at this potty, it’s just my size.” Or “Is this potty going to flush by itself?” Even, “This potty is perfect for me!”
Porta potties take things to a new high! Or as she refers to them, “porka potties”. She can spot them from a mile away! Today, we were pulling into the parking lot at the corn maze. From the backseat I heard her start hollering, “Look Mom, they have 4 porka potties!” We hadn’t even parked the car.
She was so excited that she got to use one for the second time. I guess because she felt like a pro. Swung that door open, walked right in, and instantly began pointing out the features to me. Meanwhile, I’m trying to stay a step ahead of her looking around trying to ensure everything is properly wiped down.
We even took a picture with it. She was so excited!
Did you know that these potties don’t even need to be flushed? I do because that is her “go to” fact! It’s usually followed up with, “Isn’t that so cool?”
Then she tells me about the first time she got to use one. She was with my Mom at the park. Apparently they had one, and (big surprise) Melia had to check it out! That story always ends with, “It was so awesome.” I’m never sure if she is talking about the park or the “porka potty”. It could go either way.
And I should probably mention that I do know they aren’t really called “porka potties”. I am pretty sure Melia does, too. Every once and a while she will correct herself. I get a kick out of hearing her say it, so I don’t have the heart to correct her. At least not yet. I hope she continues saying it for a while.
Please tell me we are not alone. Does your kid have a similar potty obsession?