Do We Have No Decency?

Last week the girls and I were at the auto mechanic waiting to get the oil changed in our minivan.  We were sitting nicely in the the waiting room reading books and enjoying some goldfish when suddenly I look over at the older one and shockingly find her standing in the waiting room (filled with people) with her pants and underwear down to her ankles.  I quickly pull them up and ask her why she did this and she explains that her “butt hurts.”  I quickly take her into the bathroom to fix this.

Today I took the kids to the park to enjoy our heat wave (45 degrees today).  As I was unloading the girls I look over to see my son with his drawers dropped, peeing in the grass. 

“What are you doing?” I shriek as I then make eye contact with the mom in the car beside ours.  “I have to pee,” he explains. 

As if it is ok to just pee wherever we want. 

For the second time in a week, I find myself hurriedly pulling up my child’s pants and ushering him away from the public spectacle we’ve caused.  Thankfully, we have our in van potty seat, which I find in the back of the van.   Apparently he really had to go b/c he tried to go in the parking lot when I set it on the ground.  I quickly get it in the van and out of the world’s view.  He asks why he can’t pee in the grass.  I say b/c it is gross and people walk there.  He then asks if he could pee in poison ivy (I know his logic is that no one would be walking on poison ivy).  I caution him that it isn’t a good idea to pee in poison ivy either.

Apparently I need to have a little talk with my children about decency and what behaviors are and aren’t appropriate in public.