Panty Plight

It seems to me that children with older siblings may get jipped out of some attention from parents and relatives. But, the younger children are exposed to concepts and activities at an earlier age. To them, this exposure is an advantage while to the surrounding grown-ups, it often seems like a disadvantage because it adds to our workload.

Admittedly, I am remiss in my domestic organizational obligations. Lazily, a few months ago, I moved the panties falling into the "too-small for Valerie category" directly into Dagny's drawer without messing with the "in-storage" stage.

Despite Dagny's accessibility to panties, I am of the opinion that Dagny, being a 22-month old busy-body, is not quite ready for potty training, so I've avoided broaching the tiresome milestone altogether. While I may have placed that nasty germ-magnet of a little potty in a convenient location for her to access when she's good and ready, she still tends to pee all over the carpets whenever provided with an opportunity to be diaper-free between diaper changes and bath routines sans mentioning a need for the potty. Nevertheless, she enjoys following her big sister into the bathroom to participate in the potty experience, despite her diaper and clothes remaining connected to her body.

Over the last couple of days, Valerie, being the big sister, has encouraged Dagny to wear panties. Being a responsible parent, I have insisted said panties be worn OVER a diaper. What started out to be good fun has turned into a wild obsession. Early one morning a couple of days ago, Dagny started the day wearing one pair of panties over her diaper. At breakfast, I discovered Dagny toting a few pairs of panties in her walkabout purse. Within an hour, I responded to shrill shrieks of frustration to find her battling with more panties to put them over her pants outfit. With my help, we decided to set a new toddler trend....

After naps, I overheard Valerie encouraging a new activity, "Dagny, let's go get ALL the panties in our room and wear them!" Two giggling darlings ran away as I continued with my domestic duties, enjoying the quiet. After awhile, I, again, heard shrieks of frustration, to discover Dagny lying down and Valerie hunched over her in an attempt to get something like 8 pairs of panties on her sister's little body. Again, with my help, it appears Baby Hughey just may have joined our family.....

So far, this is a fun activity, which helps to push off the inevitable need to potty train my youngest. I'm doubtful, but hopeful that this can continue for another six to nine months....