Son Up to Son Down

 


Since the weather has gotten nicer, we’ve been spending a ton of time outside. My boys could be out there from sunrise to sunset just digging in the dirt, playing on their playground or roaming the place. They are usually muddy, dirty, smelly messes by the time the day is over in the summer and I love it. Lately, we’ve been trying to go for bike rides or walks. We live about half a mile from the dirt road, so often we will get on our bikes and ride down to the dirt road and back in the evenings. It’s a good way to burn off some energy at the end of the day.

Sometimes I will push Wade in the stroller while the other two ride bikes and when I do this I ask the boys to pick up trash they see on the side of the road and put it in the little pocket of Wade’s stroller. We talk about why it’s important to pick up trash and other things we can do to help keep the planet clean. As usual, they turn it into a competition to see who can pick up the most. The other day, we decided to go for one of our “garbage rides” as my six-year-old would say. The boys took off on their bikes and I chased behind them with the stroller. They were picking up all kinds of things on the road: cans, plastic bags, paper cups, chew cans … it really is shocking to me how much stuff people throw on the side of the road. Don’t be rude!

Anyway, the boys are quite a bit ahead of me and I can see this white thing on the side of the road. Otis speeds up to it and is so excited because it’s a big piece of trash. At first it looked like a large fast food bag …. as I got closer it looked like a wad of paper towels with mud? … as I got even closer … oh … oh no … no no no!

There was Otis, beaming with pride because he picked up a huge paper towel wad but unbeknownst to him it was covered in someone’s number two. I yelled for him to drop it, but he didn’t want to because it was a huge piece of trash. I told him in this case, it’s OK that he leaves it on the ground. Still refusing, I finally had to tell him that someone’s poop was all over that paper towel. The look of sheer disgust on his face is one I will never forget.

Now, I know that sometimes people get busy and may find themselves in an emergency situation in the middle of nowhere. I’m not judging you. But maybe consider burying your reminents in a shallow grave so they don’t float their way into the ditch by my house and eventually into the hands of my four-year-old. Of all my children, Otis would be the one to pick up someone’s butt wipe!

 

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