Megan’s lip quivered in shame as she shook her head vigorously and declared, “Just tinkles Mommy!”
“Well that’s not so bad,” Sara told the distraught girl. “My little guy still tinkles in his pull-ups more often than the potty,” she told her, gesturing to Brian.
Now it was Brian’s turn to burn bright red in shame. “Mommy!” he called, willing her to stop.
“Oh hush silly,” she replied. “In fact, as long as you have to change Megan we might as well get Brian and Rachel on the potty before they need to be changed too,” Sara added.
“I don’t need to pee-pee!” Brian yelled, feeling ever more frustrated by being talked down to like this by a woman who was shorter than him.
“Well if you keep up that yelling I think you’ll need to take a nap,” Sara warned him. Then she turned to Amanda and remarked, “He always gets fussy when he needs his nap. If he misses his nap I’ve got a sure-fired temper-tantrum on my hands.”
“Oh, I know exactly what you mean,” Amanda agreed. “You should have seen it the time Meggy went off at the supermarket. She can really make a scene when she gets cranky.”
“Do I hear temper-tantrum stories being told?” Rachel’s mom asked as she joined them outside, a cup of tea in her hand.
“Yes Joy, but they can wait for now, we really need to change poor Meggy’s pull-up,” Sara told her.
“Okay, let’s go little princess,” Amanda chirped, scooping up the college girl and carrying her into the house, her bottom resting on the mom’s arm.
Brian followed them into the house while Joy walked out into the yard to retrieve her daughter as well. The kitchen had changed since they were last in it a few minutes earlier. The white refrigerator was covered in pieces of paper covered in childish crayon scribbling. There were baby locks on all the bottom cabinets and a red fire-engine designed booster-seat sat in one of the kitchen chairs.
Heading into the living room revealed even more changes. The toy box that had been there before had disappeared. Gone was the little rug designed to look like a city street plan, and with it all the Tonka trucks and toy cars. The Lego set was nowhere to be seen, the Mr. Potato Head and radio-controlled car vanished. Instead there big letter blocks and shapes. A colourful xylophone sat abandoned in the middle of the room and beside it Buddy, his teddy bear. Although Buddy was now looking a lot newer and nicer than he had earlier. His fur was lighter and cleaner at least. In the corner was a toy vacuum cleaner and against the wall a whole toy kitchen set. Everything was bright and colourful. Nothing was small enough for a stupid toddler to choke on.