Never Poop On Superman

Noah has an upset stomach today, so even though he's fully potty trained (hasn't had an accident in months), I was a little worried about him today. After a long time sitting in the bathroom, he finally INSISTED he could sit no longer and absolutely HAD to watch Scooby Doo right NOW. I did not want to hear him wail these demands any more, so I caved.

"BUT," I said in my strictest voice, "you have to wear a Pull-Up."

He frowned deeply and whined, "Pull-Ups are for babies."

"I know," I said, "but they can also be for boys with upset tummies."

"No," he declared, shaking his head with his eyes closed. "No. I won't do it."

"Yes," I said calmly. "If you want to watch Scooby Doo."

Moments later, however, I had to give in on this, too. There were no Pull-Ups to be found. I sighed, going into the laundry room and calling over my shoulder, "Okay, Noah, you win. We don't have any Pull-Ups, so you can wear underwear. But you have to promise not to have an accident."

"Oh, Mom," he called back. "Don't worry, I can handle this."

I pulled from the dryer a pair of Superman undies, thinking this would be perfect. Both of my boys are convinced--truly--that my older brother is the actual and real Superman. This is now to the point where when my brother leaves, they run to the window and look at the sky in case he decided to fly. And even better, today is my brother's birthday.

"Noah," I said seriously. "The only undies I have are Superman undies. So you definitely can't have an accident. Because today is Superman's birthday."

Noah's face went from pleased to horrified. His nose wrinkled on one side and one eye scrunched shut. "MOM!" he cried, "it's not the real Superman on there! They're only underpants!"

I almost choked trying not to laugh. But then he went on.

"You think your brother lives on my undies? I would NEVER POOP on SUPERMAN! ON HIS BIRTHDAY??!"