Potty Break

Parenting is a funny business at times. Not always funny ha-ha, either. No matter how well prepared you think you are for it, the truth of the matter is that no one really knows what she's doing. We're all just winging it, some better than others - although that's hard to judge because it could be decades before we see the true outcome of our labor. But we need to keep things in perspective, surround ourselves with supportive friends and family, take time for ourselves, and laugh often.

The safe haven in my house is the bathroom. I can go in there and lock the door, and talk on the phone in semi peace and quiet for a few minutes. Or hide out with my favorite chocolate when I'm not in a sharing mood. But anyone with kids of a certain age knows that the bathroom is a also a source of much frustration as well as juvenile potty humor, and even quality family time. Besides this mom hanging out and fighting for a tiny bit of alone time, here's just a little of what goes on in my bathroom:

• Potty training woes
• Fighting over whose turn it is to brush her teeth and/or use the stool and /or go to the bathroom
• Anger over wet towels and dirty clothes left all over the floor
• Nagging to get children to clean
• Drying, brushing, curling, straightening, and braiding hair
• Bath time fun
• Clipping and polishing nails 
• Casually random yet sometimes important and telling conversation

It's a tiny room that no one usually thinks twice about, but a lot goes on in the bathroom. The Clorox Family of Toilet Products recognizes the vital role of the bathroom in the home, as well as the importance of humor in day to day parenting life. Because of that, they've recently launched a new comedy website, hosted by comedian and actress Sherri Shepherd, The Clorox Lounge. The site is meant to provide some comic relief, as well as contests, giveaways, and coupons. Visit The Clorox Lounge now to enter the Last Comic Sitting Competition and Sweepstakes, which is going on now through April 22, 2012.

Finding something to laugh about can get us through the stickiest parenting dilemmas. And sometimes we may find ourselves doing crazy things we never could have imagined would be part of the job. I remember when Connor was little, he hated to have his ears and nose cleaned. Since he was obsessed with Star Wars, I created a rather disgusting game of telling him there were Star Wars guys in his ears and nose and I had to get them out. "Oh no! I hear Chewy! He's calling me, he doesn't want to be stuck in there anymore! Hans and Leia are stuck together, ewwww! Hear that? It's C3PO, he says his mission is over and he's ready to leave the premises!" Can you imagine what someone would have thought if they had overheard me? Desperate times, people! The thing is, it worked like a charm! Connor thought it was hilarious, and he became quite compliant when I had to tend to his personal grooming. Gross yet effective and giggle-provoking techniques just can't be beat. Do you have any funny parenting tactics, or crazy weird things you find yourself doing with or for your kids, in the name of just getting through the day? Please share, and then head over to The Clorox Lounge for more laughs!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Clorox® blogging program, for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.