Accidents

Today was Jonas' trip to the local firehouse with his school. I couldn't make it with his class because my wife had to go to work early and I had to stay home with Brayden, our 1 year old. Before he left for school, I had him use the bathroom. When we got to school, I had him use it again. About an hour later, I got a call from his teacher. She told me that Jonas had an accident on the way back from the firehouse. Jonas is four. We have had a hard time with potty training him. He actually has been really awesome over the past month. He would rather play than go to the bathroom which I guess is normal but it's just incredibly frustrating.

I had to get Brayden dressed and run out the door with new clothes for Jonas. Some lady ran a four way stop sign and I almost ran into her and she flipped me off and drove away. I didn't even honk or throw my arms up. My hulk rage switch got flipped and I wanted to follow her but I couldn't. The rest of the drive I was trying to separate my anger for this lady and the frustration for my son peeing his pants at school. I was also concerned with his embarrassment which was really keeping me from getting mad at him.

I got to school and made it to his classroom and he was sitting eating snack. His teacher found a pair of sweatpants for him that were two sizes too small. He had a huge smile on his face when he saw me which was disarming. He ran over to me and gave me a hug and told me that he peed his pants and he said he was sorry. I told him that it was okay but he couldn't do it anymore. I decided to just take him home at that point. He had really done a number with his accident and his socks and shoes were peed on too. I didn't say much on the way home. We just listened to music. When we got in the door, he asked me if I was mad at him. I told him that I wasn't but I was frustrated and that he needs to tell someone when he has to go pee. The firehouse had bathrooms and so does his school.

I realize then that this whole keeping my emotions in isn't going to work so well with my kids. It needs to be done in moderation. My son shouldn't have to sit in a car, wondering if I am mad at him or not. It's not fair to him. I probably should have got down on my knee and talked to him as soon as we walked out of school. It may seem like a minor thing and if someone reads this and says "Your kid had an accident, get over it" or "it's not that big of a deal.", I would have to disagree. Yes in the grand scheme of life, it's not earth shattering but it's a teachable moment. Not just for my son but for myself.

Jonas showed me how to Stop, Drop and Roll.