The Poop is the Same: Workplace Potty Training

Potty training is a venture every parent undertakes at some point before their kidlets go off to college…or kindergarten.  Over the past year as my husband, toddler daughter and I have yelled, wept, bribed, cursed, sighed and laughed over our version of housebreaking a human, I have seen an interesting thing.  (Yes, it is going to be interesting.  This will be interesting even for those of you who have no interest whatsoever in the goings on or the going on the potty action with children.)  So listen up:  Potty Training is like working in the following situations: Situation One:  Everybody does it.  Everyone works during their life like it or not. Just like everyone is at one time or another involved in potty training.  Even if you aren’t signing up for parenthood, your folks aimed your tukus in the direction of a porcelain throne more than a few times, I bet.  Situation Two: Potty training a hungry+tired+angry+distracted+annoyed+devious +lying +laughing toddler is about what your average work meeting looks like.  (You are chuckling because you know this to be true.)  A staff meeting in any business setting always has a herding of the cats element to it.  Or in the case of my point, a herding of the heiny to the potty element to it.  Potty Training=Working! Situation Three:  You can lead a horse to water, (WAIT.  That could be gross, never mind.) Situation Four: Even though you want a person to be responsible for their own mess, sometimes you are the one man clean up crew. Situation Five:  Sometimes in your work life, you think your idea is AWESOME.  You think you have nailed it and you are set up for advancement, a raise and the corner office.  But then you step back and notice…your aim wasn’t so great after all. Situation Six:  Sometimes at work there is a line for the bathroom and you have to wait a bit.  Or you need a bit of….privacy…and so want to claim the bathroom all to yourself...privately.  Potty training is the same except the bathroom is always needed as soon as you have availed yourself of it, and no, they are not willing to wait in a line.  Situation Seven:  Dressing for success is common in business.  When it comes to potty training, undressing for success is the way of it.  (I suppose undressing for success can be common for work and potty training, come to think of it.) Situation Eight:  Potty Training is like working in an office because sometimes what starts out as a team building event ends up with everyone in tears sitting on the floor together.  Except in potty training there is also hugging. And M&Ms. Not likely to be found in an office.  (Well, maybe the M&Ms?) Situation Nine: At work there are countless occasions when someone does something so basic and expected for their job but still want a big kudos.  In Potty Training, that Someone also does something so basic and expected and still wants big kudos for it.  Situation Ten:  Finally: in both working and potty training  every day the poop is the same and you are often the one in the middle of it…but eventually everything gets cleaned up and put to right and tomorrow is a whole new day.  With clean underpants.

Thanks to photographer James Frid