FEATURE: When life goes bottoms up

WHEN preparing for three-year-old Ella’s dance lesson in the morning, I’ll be double, no triple, checking we have EVERYTHING. Why? Well first, let’s rewind to last Friday morning.

Last Friday was particularly hectic – there was breastfeeding to be done, bags to pack, dishwashers to clear (well, only one dishwasher) and bottoms to be wiped. “No mum, I can wipe my own bottom’’. Here we go. “Of course you can, darling. Just make sure you put your underpants back on, OK?’’

Let’s just say this conversation went on for a while (I won’t bore you with the script) and ended with “I’ll put them on later’’. Fine, put them on later. I’ve got other things to do. Ah, we spend so long pushing for the day our li’l people become independent, little realising the ramifications.

You see, half way through her dance lesson, as I bounced Baby Holly on my lap, the dance teacher instructed her li’l subjects to lie back, feet in the air and pretend to be seals balancing a ball on their toes. It looked so gorgeous. Twenty sets of little feet cycling towards the sky.

Then a thought crossed my mind, my body suddenly felt hot and I slightly choked. Had Ella put her pants on in the end? If not, there were quite a few people now getting an eye full. Yep, she was as naked as the day she was born.

“Next, let’s all twinkle our fingers in the air, now bend over and touch the floor.’’ Nooooooooo. Please. She hasn’t got pants on. Too late. The other mums around me were in absolute hysterics. I had my hands full with Holly and could do nothing but watch it all unfold.

A few minutes later Ella runs over to me. Little does she realise just how much of herself she’s revealed to her peers. I quickly do the hand-up-the-dress thing just to confirm what I already know and indeed, there are no underdaks covering the “front and back bum’’. I try to convince her that we need to get her spare pants out of her bag before the next dance begins, but she runs off laughing. Yeah, real funny.

Finally, when dancing has finished, she complies and happily jumps into a pair of stripey pink and white knickers. Too late now, love. Everyone’s already seen what you had for breakfast. *sigh*

So, my lesson to you is, fight for your little people’s independence, sure. But understand, as with everything, there are consequences.

Do you have issues with keeping your child in underpants? Or is it just my child?

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This post is part of FlogYoBlog Friday. Click on the links to read some incredible posts from around the mummy blogosphere!
Click on the links to read some incredible posts from around the mummy blogosphere!