That not so fresh feeling
So last night I was doing something only a modern father would do for his six year old son: I was using a Q-Tip to spread a vaginal anti-fungal cream between his butt cheeks. He has had a fiery yeast infection for about a week, after being on antibiotics for a strep infection at Christmas.
I say “only a modern father” because I can’t imagine my Dad or Grandpa doing this. My own father refused to change my diapers, according to my Mom.
Anyway, so here I am spreading this cream on my son’s butt, and he says, “Dad, do you think this yeast infection will be over by the time I am married?”
I said, “Yes, unless you plan to get married in the next day or two.”
He didn’t say anything, and after a pause in which I found myself stifling laughter, I added, “Besides, you’d have to be married fifty years before your wife would do this for you.”
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Too funny!
Yeah, I’m often grossed out by what parents tell me they do for their kids, or for what my dad tells me he did for me.
And yet you think nothing of it. Parents, in that sense, are heroes. Not disgusted by vomit. By shit on the walls (my dad has a lovely story about me and that subject). Not disgusted by removing mucus from a child’s nose with a bulb.
I have a feeling I’d have a lot of growing up to do before I could be a parent.
Comment by Mel B. — Wednesday, 16 January 2008 @ 2:26 am
I think every parent starts out disgusted by the various tasks they are asked to do on behalf of their child, but you pretty quickly realize that you just have to suck it up and get used to it. No one else is going to change that diaper or clean the poop off the walls for you.
I still remember my first diaper change. It was literally Brendan’s first dirty diaper, and anyone who has ever changed one of those knows that the first poop is one of the most disgusting because it is composed of whatever the baby has digested while in the womb. I remember cracking that diaper open, and the poop looked like wet, black tar, and I thought to myself, “Oh God, how many times a day do I have to do this?”
But as I say, you get used to it. It also helps that it is your very own kid. Changing another kid’s diapers, or wiping someone else’s kid’s butt…I still feel some repugnance towards that. It’s not my kid’s poop. It’s foreign poop!
Comment by greypilgrim — Wednesday, 16 January 2008 @ 7:04 am
Nah - I’m still disgusted by it. I don’t know how I get by. My wife helps, she’s pretty good at doing a lot of the diapers and cleaning up some of the messes, but sometimes I just sort of … I don’t know, just do it as quickly as I can and move on.
Then again, I’m sort of wimpy when it comes to messes in comparison to most people - I like things very, very clean. My parents beat it into me.
Comment by Step — Wednesday, 6 February 2008 @ 3:05 am