One important thing to consider when working with children (of any age really), is that they eat anything! When I say anything, I mean ANYTHING – even things that don’t taste good, or digest well in any human being’s system. For example, at the toddler house this month they have a fascination with eating paper. Books, important notes, schedules – nothing stands a chance if they get their hands on it. Paper for these kids, is no different than a cheese puff or marshmallow.
Some of my most disturbingly dangerous dining experiences this month have taken place within the walls of Starfish headquarters…
Incident #1 – About a week ago, we’d just finished pajamying the kids, cleaning up the supper dishes, and began playing on the blankets with various toys. TINY was her regular squiggly self, huffing, puffing and smiling, she scooted/crawled herself into my lap and began bouncing up and down. Let’s just say she bounced a little too soon after supper. A warm sensation began to run down my leg and pooled in my flip-flop. Realizing this was not normal, I had to bypass the desire of not wanting to know what was now on me – and look. My findings were predictable – vomit, so I quickly called Shawndell for a towel. She came, but the PROFESSOR found the drainage on the floor much faster. Snatching the towel from the air, I turned to find, much to my horror, the PROFESSOR curiously dining on the regurgitated substance. “Ooh, ewe, Shawndell…ewe! He’s eating her vomit!” Clutching TINY in one arm, the towel under my chin, I grabbed for PROFESSOR scooping him into my empty arm, transferred the towel to my open hand, and used my non-vomit foot to shoo other curious Starfish away from the stray evidence left at the scene.
Incident #2- Changing CHUNKY MONKEY this morning after his bath I hear Shawndell say something to the effect of, “No! Don’t drink that! Stop drinking the bathwater.” “Bathwater?” I thought to myself. “Who on earth is in the tub?” I peek around the corner and see GIGGLEBOX smiling big, kicking his legs and turning ever so slightly to slurp up this deliciously sudsy drink. “Is he seriously drinking the water?” I ask Shawndell laughing. She chuckles and catches him a third time gulping away. I promise we hydrate these children throughout the day, but we try to limit their soap intake to zero…unfortunately GIGGLEBOX isn’t okay with that.
Incident #3- grass, rocks, magazines, dirt, plastic, styrofoam, crayons, paper…I’ve seen it all. Nothing however prepared me for the recent dining choice of three of our rascals: the PROFESSOR, SNOT ROCKET, and DRAMA KING all have found a recent fascinating with licking baby wipes, lotion, prickles from the bushes…and the most dreaded one of all, dirty diapers! Shawndell was changing BIG SIS the other day and I disappeared into the changing room to grab a couple of extra wipes.
Within 3.8 seconds of leaving, I returned to find the PROFESSOR trying to lick the diaper. “Bah! He’s trying to eat her diaper!!! No, no, no Professor! That is so gross! We don’t eat diapers…especially dirty ones!!” Shrugging his shoulders, he scurried off to find something else to get into. This clearly affected him much less than me. Ooh children…
