When I entered motherhood, never did I think a conversation starting out as “You’ll never guess what happened last night,” would end with “There was poop everywhere!” and consider this the most hilarious event of my husband’s and my weekend. But, hey, poop happens. And when you have an infant, it happens a lot, and can sometimes make life a little messy.
As my husband Matt and I began talking to friends who are parents as well, we were surprised at how freely poop stories such as ours entered their way into conversation. Soon, we’d find ourselves in a back and forth competition of sorts, saying, “You think that’s bad, wait till you hear this!” Four years ago, I never would have thought my daughter Ella’s unpredictable bowel movements would be a source of entertainment. But as those Johnson & Johnson® commercials remind us, “Having a baby changes everything.” And with the addition of our youngest, Jaisa, who's now almost one, those poop stories keep coming and never seem to get old.
A bonding experience
As strange as it sounds, these little (and not so little) poop stories had helped lighten up our marriage during the often trying times within the first years of our daughters' lives. To this day, we still bring up our first “projectile poop” experience with Ella and how we just both stood there surrounding her, surveying the after-math, and laughing harder than we had laughed together in a long time. With Jaisa, we were armed and ready...or so we thought, until that first explosion. Then, somehow it felt like we were transported back in time, not sure whether we wanted to brave the storm or duck and take cover.
Throughout the trials and tribulations of parenthood, when things get messy laughter is sometimes the best medicine. My one piece of advice to any new parents, always open with caution.
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