Playscapes Always Cleaner After We Visit

One day Kyle will somehow appreciate all the blogging I did about his potty training years. Notice I said years. Yesterday I hurriedly put him in the car after his nap for a quick playdate at McDonald's. I didn't have him go to the potty--big error on my part! So within minutes of him being in the playscape, while I was ordering us a snack, his friend announced to me that Kyle had had an accident. I remembered right then the error of my ways. So I scurried back to the play area, thinking it was just on the bottom step or the ladder area, a structure of platforms that make their way to the top. I'm sure some of you know what I'm talking about.

My friend offered to get someone to clean it up. I declared that I'd clean up after his own mess--I really think it's my responsibility when he has these accidents in public after all. And naturally, being the loopy-prepared lady, I had my humongous Sam's-sized Clorox wipes with me. I use them on the table but of course they are handy when I must handscrub a playscape or two. So I began cleaning. And slowly realized it was dripping from an upper level. So I began my way up. It got worse as I climbed.

Meanwhile kids are clamboring up too and Kyle is wanting his own Clorox wipe to use. Sweet kid. By the way, these playgrounds are designed for kids, not us 'big kids.' I was contorting my body just to get to the next level. It was like I was stuck in a Super Mario brothers level and couldn't find the door that opened. Where is one of those fireballs when you actually need one? Nevertheless, once I mounted the top level, I saw a puddle the size of Lake Michigan, which I've never actually seen in person, but well, it's a Great Lake, and this was well, a Great Lake.

By this point, I'm peering through the slats in the playscape, hollering at my friend to get me napkins because my poor Clorox wipes were just not 'man' enough for the job. An employee brings me a mound of napkins which we inch through the slats. McDonald's might be getting stingy on their ketchup and oh-so-famous dipping sauces, but not their trademark napkins. I finally get everything cleaned up and begin my descent as I pick up all the wipes on the way down. And Kyle's still running around in wet clothes. And he is totally unphased by this whole episode.

I sat in silent (and frustrated) amusement while I cleaned, as it brought back fond memories of a recent trip to Chick-fil-A when I had to do the same cleanup on the playscape there. However, Kyle had not had 3 liters of milk to drink before napping and he was not on the top level of a twenty foot tower. Further, I fondly reminisced about how recently we were with these same friends at their neighborhood pool and Kyle chose to have a 'serious' business accident in his Huggies swimmer, which led to the pool shutting down that area he was in. As we left the pool, the cleanup company was there with a big sign posted "Wading and Beach Area closed due to contamination." Contamination???? He had a swimmer on for crying out loud. Isn't that what they are for anyway? There was nothing floating in the pool either...

As I laid hunched over on each level, amused and frustrated, I thought again how my situation is not everyone's situation. But I know there is a band of Moms out there who also have a child or have had a child who has accidents in playscapes, pools, and every day, a 'serious' business accident in their skivvies. I never thought I'd wash so much underwear in my life! (I forgot to mention how Kyle also marked his territory at a restaraunt at Sea World, while at the same time, Makenna had an explosion in the high chair next to him). These are the moments when I come out of my body and just watch in amusement and have to laugh at the Groundhog Day movielike-aspect of my daily life!

Oh, my little man Kyle. All I can say is thanks to Kyle, the playscape at the Hutto McDonald's has never been more disinfected and the playscape at the Round Rock Chick-fil-A was cleaner after we left. Oh, and of course, let's not forget the neighborhood pool--it has experienced contamination from my child. Whatever shall we do? Kids do their easy business in pools every day and we are none the wiser. Didn't we all do it at some point as kids?

Never fear--I'm here for Kyle more than ever, to clean up whatever needs to be cleaned up and I fearlessly will disinfect any public play area that needs my handy attention. I come armed with Clorox wipes and I might just start wearing a tool belt full of cleaning products so in a moment's notice, I can whip out a Mr. Clean product or a trusty toilet bowl brush...who knows, I might just bring along the chrome polish and polish the public restroom's faucet. Goodness, if only I could be on wheels like the robot cleaning lady on the Jetson's--then I could really move fast! Now I know why I worked in the fast food business as a teenager and cleaned motel rooms one summer...it all is coming full circle...