It never seems to fail that when we're on a road trip the kids always manage to need to make a bathroom stop when it's least convenient. Tonight was another one of those times.
Since we had a day off school and babysitting I decided it would be fun to throw the kids in the car and spend the day at my mom's. It's a little over two hours there and amazingly enough it always requires at least one pit stop. Of course on the way there this morning it was no big deal. We pulled over to a busy McDonald's, ran in, used the facilities, got a drink and were on our way.
After a busy day of shopping, crafting, and eating, the kids and I hopped back in the car to make the return trip. We were leaving at dusk and as darkness rolled over us we drove along the highway playing games, listening to music, and a Veggie Tale story (which my older daughter and I both noted we now can say word for word). We were about an hour and fifteen minutes into the trip and passing the last exit available for the next 10-15 min when all three of my boys began the potty squirm. I had two options: pull over at the rest stop I could see the sign for or suggest they pee in a cup. Though I really didn't want to go to the rest stop as I have never liked them. It seemed like every time we stopped at one when I was a kid they were always dirty, crowded, and there were never enough stalls. So as an adult I have tried to avoid them at all costs. But I envisioned the next few weeks of finding cups filled with pee all over the house because my 3yr old would see this as a new game instead of a one time thing. So I put on my blinker and pulled over onto the ramp. As we pull up in the lot there is one lonely car that looks as though it had been there awhile and around back several trucks.
We all get out and head into the welcome center. Now I realize that I can be a little over protective but I have always hated letting my older kids head into a public bathroom without an adult. In most cases I usually relent keeping a careful eye on the door for their return and knowing that if they're gone too long I won't hesitate to walk into to see why, even if it's the mens bathroom. Luckily I have never had to do that. This time however there was no way I was letting the boy's head into that bathroom on their own. As we were walking into the lobby I wondered how I was going to coax my 8 and 10 yr old boys to go with me into the women's when luck would have it there were family bathrooms right out in the lobby. (This by the way was the nicest rest stop I have ever been too.) I had the three older kids use one of those restrooms and keep watch over each other as I took the little two into the women's restroom.
Of course being a recently updated facility everything there was automatic. First we tackled the toilet. Now please keep in mind that my 3yr old has recently developed a fear of the flushing sound a toilet makes. So as he trying to go the toilet flushes and he comes running out of the stall with his hands over his ears and his pants around his ankles. My 5yr old on the other hand is sitting on the pot and for whatever reason the toilet keeps flushing sending her into a round of giggles with each whoosh. Then came the sinks, it always takes these two forever to find the just the right spot to hold their hands to get the water running. I would get one in the right spot turn to the other and then have to turn back to the first because his tiny little hand had moved an 1/8 of a centimeter. And of course each time the water turns on the two of them erupt in laughter. Why? I don't know. Now it's time to dry and being an earth friendly facility the only drying option is the Excel dryers. Have you come across these wind tunnels yet? I have know idea how fast the air is moving that comes out of them but it's enough to make my skin look as if it's being pushed off my hands. Now imagine being a tiny little 30 pound child. It hits their hands hard enough to almost knock them over and again the giggles burst out. But it's not enough to stick their hands under there just once they want to do it over and over again. (some how this does not seem to be energy saving to me).
We finally make it out rejoin the other three and begin our our way out the door. And my 8yr old asks rather loudly "Why couldn't we go in the mens bathroom? Is it because you don't trust the people here?" Just then a truck driver walks out of the vending area. And I wondered if he found humor in the giggles rolling out of the women's bathroom and hoped he wasn't offended by my son's question. But instead saw my move for what it was; the only way I could be comfortable in a mostly deserted rest stop.
