Clean

“I gotta go potty.” Maxfield yelled from the top of the bridge that connected the sliding board and the fake rock wall.

“Okay. Hurry down.” I called back up to him.

Instead of taking the easy way down, the slide, he turned back towards the rock wall and climbed down. Half way down he started the “jig”. Most parents know the “jig”. I reached up and lifted him off the wall and I carried him to the bathroom about 30 yards away.

Bathrooms at public playgrounds are always interesting. They are rarely cleaned nor kept up. As we entered the cinderblock and concrete floored facility I could tell it was well used that day. Both urinals were too tall for Max to use so we went to one of the stalls in the back of the restroom.

“I have to pee too.” I said as Max finished. I pulled up his pants and I opened the stall door. “Go wash your hands.”

I angled myself in the tiny stall so I could keep an eye on Max. He walked past the urinals and headed over the sink and I could hear him hit the push top faucet.

“I need soap.” He said.

“I’ll be right there.” I said as I continued to go. I knew the soap dispenser was too high for him to reach. Out of the corner of my eye I could see him walk back towards me.

“I got some.” He said.

“That’s weird.” I thought to myself. “How did he reach the soap?”

I zipped up and flushed the toilet. I walked over the sink and there was Max holding the pink urinal block sanitizer that he took from one of the urinals. He was rubbing it on his hands.