To Camp or not to Camp?

OK, I admit it; I've created a monster. My 4 year old daughter LOVES to "go camping." It all started after StrollerFit one day when those magical six words exited my daughter's mouth: "Mommy, I have to go potty." As usual, those words were uttered at the most inconvenient time on a day when A) the port-a-potties at the park were not available for public usage, meaning they were desperately needing to be emptied and cleaned or B) we were too far away from the facilites that the park has on-site to avoid having an accident before we arrived.


So, I improvised; I suggested that my daughter & I take a "nature hike" and go find a place to pretend we could go "camping." Surely, you see where this is going, right? We found a discreet location behind some shrubs and a couple of trees, she copped a squat and took care of business. Over and done, easy as pie. Well, in theory, anyway.


While this didn't become a habit right away, I fear that to my daughter, it is an accepted practice. There was a day not long ago where there were three kids sitting around a tree, doing exactly what I have unintentionally been condoning. A couple months ago, the StrollerFit moms threw me a post-class birthday party. I was busy talking with someone when I noticed Macy was not where I thought she was. I turned toward my stroller and she was standing there watching the geese swim in the pond (or so I thought). When I went over to her, she said, "Hi, Mommy! Guess what? I pooped!" I looked at her and asked, "Did you have an accident?" "No," she replied, "I pooped right there, see?" I followed her pointed finger and saw...well, I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say, she wasn't lying to me. So, horrified, I began to think about how I might discreetly dispose of her mess and quietly grabbed a plate from the picnic table to scoop it up and throw it away. It worked. I made a point of telling Macy that she should come tell me the next time she feels the "urge" to go potty and that I would help her find a potty suitable to use for this purpose.

Fast forward to this past Tuesday. It was after StrollerFit, the kids were busy playing their version of StrollerFit and the moms were talking amongst themselves. I hear my name and look up. My instructor looks at me like she's trying to hide a grin and nods her head in the direction of a nearby tree where the kids had been doing their version of wall sits and singing pat-a-cake. I turn my head to see what's going on and there I see my daughter with her undies around her ankles, her little tush leaning on the tree trunk for balance and a stream of pee flowing freely. I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, scream or do a combination of all three. Embarrassed, I apologized and my friend laughed. She told me she thought it was hilarious and not to worry about it. Another mom in the group who has a little boy said her son pees in the backyard all the time! What's a mom to do?

I guess this is just one more thing to add to my list of things that nobody tells you when you become a mom. I have since decided that I am going to purchase three of those collapsible potty chairs. I'll put one in each of the cars and keep one in my stroller at all times, so that I can try to curtail this problem before my child turns 18 & I get a call from the police station telling me that she's been arrested for indecent exposure and urninating in public. Of course, should this actually happen, I had the fortitude to establish a bank account to cover the costs of the therapy she'll need for having endured such a traumatic experience(jail time, not peeing in public).

We are actually going camping this weekend and I am thanking my lucky stars that we've got a toilet in the camper!