Restroom Drama with Kate
Kate loves to eat in restaurants. She is very well behaved in them so her parents don’t mind taking her out. There is no muss, no fuss and she is a good little eater. We took her to a Sushi restaurant in Las Vegas where she happily ate an entire bowl of edamame and didn’t make a peep. We ate at a little place in Salt Lake that served food from India which she loved and contently sat and ate like a grown-up. I think that is exceptional for a three-year old. However, there is ALWAYS a trip or two to the restroom and sometimes that means trouble and a scene.
For instance, on my last trip to Salt Lake we went out to eat and as usually happens, she needed to go potty. I took her and as I was getting her situated with the paper toilet seat cover she started complaining that she didn’t want the paper cover. I told her she had to have it and plopped her down on top of it. She complained louder so I told her she had to have it because it was ‘the law’. She immediately countered with a very loud “It’s NOT the law”. I said it was the law. She said it wasn’t. Back and forth we went with all the ladies in the restroom giggling by this time as they listened to our banter. It was actually quite funny to see this cute little girl sitting on the potty seat dangling her legs and demanding that sitting on the paper cover was NOT the law.
Later as I told her mom about it she laughed and told me she probably said that because they use that same line about ‘the law’ in getting her strapped into a seat belt. Now THAT is the law whereas sitting on paper in the toilet is NOT the law. She’s no dummy. They both can’t be ‘the law’.
The real corker potty story, so far anyway, happened on the trip to Las Vegas. As usual we were sitting in the restaurant when she announced she had to go potty. It must have been a ruse to explore, however, as just as soon as we locked the stall door she announced she didn’t have to go. Being the smart grandma, I told her I would go first and then she could go. I started putting the paper down on the toilet seat just like I had taught her before and as I was getting myself situated to sit she started fiddling with her busy little fingers. I don’t like her to touch anything in the restroom as all the germs make me nervous, but those busy fingers started touching the toilet and the paper causing it to shift a bit so my sit down was off and turned into more of a crouch. So there I was in a vulnerable position when her little fingers really got going touching lots of germs and filling me with concern. I expressed my concern with a stern “Kate, don’t touch that” which furrowed her brow and made her decide to bolt from the stall. We were in the larger handicap stall so there was plenty of room for her to get away from me where I couldn’t reach her while in my stance.
She unlocked the door and threw it open exposing me to the stares of half a dozen women washing hands and waiting their turn to use the facilities. They all turned to look at the commotion of course and started giggling at my obvious predicament. I gave a couple of louder ‘Kate’calls to close the door but my loud voice only strengthened her resolve to keep that door open and get away from me. I managed to grab the bottom of the door and pull it closed momentarily, but with her pushing it open it was a see-saw battle. She pushed and I pulled. We bantered back and forth. “Kate, close the door”. “No”. “KATE, CLOSE THE DOOR”. “NO!” The door opened and shut, opened and shut with our pulling and pushing. I am stronger than her but my position weakened my effort and she was close to winning. The snickering ladies were having a great time but I was NOT. This was extremely embarrassing for me but not for Kate as she continued to scowl at me and fight to get away.
Finally after what seemed an eternity, I got myself up and decent again and shut and locked the door and held it tight while I waited for all those ladies to exit the restroom. Some were so slow! My dignity was gone but at least I didn’t want to see their mirthful eyes up close. I’m sure they left that restroom with a funny story to tell while I left with very little dignity and holding tight to the small hand of a cute little girl who was oblivious to the scene she had caused.
