Do all kids go through a toilet humor phase? You know what I’m talking about. That phase where they suddenly find everything bathroom and bodily function related hilarious. Not just that, but they also won’t let it go even if you try not to reinforce it with a reaction.
Last night at dinner, Nusayba decided there wasn’t enough toilet talk to her liking. She started on this spiraling trajectory of inventing increasingly unsavory jokes and stories. As kids are prone to do, she kept making the stories more outrageous in response to a lack of enthusiasm from her audience. I decided it was time to hone in that creative energy.
I taught her that every story, at a basic level, has one protagonist and one plot (unlike her unwieldy web of storylines) and encouraged her to organize her thoughts a little so we could better follow her story. My goal is to get her to think outside the box and reach into her mind for possibilities that don’t involve the bathroom.
Of course, in the first attempt, she chooses a Mr. Poopoo as the protagonist and the whole plot revolves around him in the bathroom and there’s indeed a lot of poo poo involved.
I encourage her to try again. She develops a new character: Princess Baki who wears the same rainbow dress every day. Okay, good start. “What’s the interesting thing that happens to Princess Baki?” I ask.
Princess Baki drives her dog to a coffee shop in her rainbow car where they both drink coffee. Alright, this is intriguing. You have my attention.
And then, surprise! The dog has to use the toilet. Well, she got me there. Of course, at this point her laughter and delight at spinning the plot on me to lead me to more toilet humor is infectious. We both start cracking up and I can see her Baba, who is praying Maghrib at the time and has clearly overheard, struggling to maintain his composure. Halima laughs because we’re laughing.
And it turns out, she was able to weave a tale that earned her the reaction she wanted. Unfortunately, it seems I’ve just given her the devices to thoughtfully craft more potty plot lines. Nusayba wins this round.
Golden Butterfly Books 