Dinner Conversation

This is why I typically think before I speak:

Tonight at dinner little j did not want to eat any of her green beans and I said, "Why don't you eat at least one. You know, colon health is really important." WTF! Of course Big J started laughing, although to his credit it was behind his hand. And little j said, "What's a colon?"

In retrospect, that might not have been the most appropriate dinnertime conversation. But to her credit, little j did want to talk about how the digestive system works and how our body uses nutrients. Of course, part of the conversation had to be about poo. Because you can't talk about food, the digestive system, and nutrients without talking about the byproducts. And it is kind funny to talk about poo with a seven-year old. Especially one that laughs whenever she farts. Well, in full disclosure, I still think farts are funny too. So we have a lot of laughs in our house.

This all started because little j said she had a stomach ache and Big J asked her if she'd pooed lately. To which she replied, "I hardly ever poo." Of course it should be no surprise that she got up in the middle of dinner to use the bathroom, during which Big J and I had a conversation about her poo. It is sort of odd that for the first three or so years of a child's life poo is a major parental concern and a major topic of conversation with other parents. But once potty training is over and kids are pretty self-sufficient in the bathroom it kind of drops off the radar.

But it doesn't drop of mom's radar! I remember growing up that every time I had the hiccups my grandmother was convinced I was constipated. It's so ingrained that I've considered the possibility when little j has the hiccups, even though I know it is completely crazy.

I suppose this is one of those weird mom things people never tell you about. Seriously, someone could have said, "You will always be concerned that your child is regular." These are things that would be good to know ahead of time.