Teacher Tom: As If I Did Not Exist

Teacher Tom: As If I Did Not Exist

As If I Did Not Exist

I was hanging out with a group of kids on the playground, including a two-year-old girl I had just met. At some point she began to dance the way one does when nature calls. I knew she was relatively new to the world of underwear. I prompted, "Do you need to go potty?" She nodded so I said, "The toilet is inside."

We were a long way from the door, as far as one can be on the playground. She began heading that way, albeit without urgency, stopping here and there for a closer look, picking up stray items, but otherwise making her way in the general direction of the bathroom.

I'm not an expert in helping kids make the transition from diapers to underpants, but I've spent a lot of time around children who are in the process of learning. I know that many of them are still accustomed to being accompanied by an adult. I know that many can get distracted. I know that accidents happen, even with seasoned veterans. For these reasons I kept an eye on her as she made her way, knowing that she might need a reminder or a helper or some other support along the way. She didn't. When I later told her mother, she informed me that it wasn't the first time that she had demonstrated this sort of independence, but she was nevertheless impressed, as she should be: not every two- CONTINUE READING: Teacher Tom: As If I Did Not Exist