Boys....

I'm still (relatively) new at mothering a son. We often speak of privacy, modesty, etc. Grins is generally very private, often saying "Mom! Can you please close your eyes?" if I happen to be using the bathroom mirror to do my makeup when he needs to use the bathroom. He's become concerned enough that we even moved his sisters into a separate room so he could have his own space.

So imagine my surprise when, earlier today, I noticed he had a different shirt on than the one he started with. I asked "Why did you change your shirt, Grins?" to which he replied "The other one had potty on it." "How did that happen?" I wondered aloud. "When I was going potty under the trampoline, some got on the shirt." Surprised at this (since it hasn't been an issue for at least a year), I reminded him that urinating in the yard is inappropriate on several levels and must not happen again. I then asked him if he had put his soiled laundry in the hamper, to which he replied, "I'll go get it from under the trampoline!" He then proceeded to bring an entire outfit - underwear and all - in from outside. "How did your dirty clothing get outside?" I asked and then began putting it together..."Did you change your clothing outside?!" I asked, horrified. His

response: "No! I couldn't wear wet clothes inside so I took everything off and came inside to get clean clothes."

How did I miss a streaker running through my house? (I must have been downstairs doing laundry.) We spoke again of the importance of modesty, and he agreed to refrain from indecent exposure in the future, though he insisted that, since our yard is fully fenced, he felt he'd had adequate privacy.

Couple this scenario with the way I found him asleep at nap time (above), and I'm feeling a bit out of my league on how to culturally refine my son. Sigh. I suppose I will never completely understand boys or their preoccupation with their bodies and their unique abilities.