Flush the Potty Humor!

I'm ashamed to say that my 4-year-old son already has a propensity toward potty humor.  Ugh!  We don't use potty humor in our household, so I'm left to assume that there is something innate in little boys that tends toward finding humor in bodily functions.  I don't pretend to understand it, but I have observed this tendency throughout my life.  I remember little boys from my childhood giggling over noises and substances that I won't mention here.  I also babysat frequently during my teenage years and recall similar instances.  So, why should I be surprised when my youngster happens to find potty humor amusing too?  I guess my hopes that he would come out of the womb with a natural tendency toward gentlemanliness are shattered.

So, 'what to do' as a mommy who wants to teach her little guy to be sensible and wise, manly, yet meek?  Some people may think that I'm being too nit-picky, not allowing him to just be a little boy.  Well, to that I say, let the Bible shed light on this matter.

Proverbs 22:15 - Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; 

The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.

Now that we've let the Bible establish for us that our children are born fools, let's see what it says about inappropriate humor.

Ephesians 5:3-4 - But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

I'll tell you how my husband and I handle it, when our son attempts to make humor out of a bodily function.  First of all, we DO NOT LAUGH.  Why?  Because it's not funny.  It's a bodily function, like eating, sleeping, or walking.  If we giggle, we will only encourage him.  I understand that it may be amusing that our kids minds come up with the things they do, but use self-control!  Save your laughter for the things that you don't mind them repeating.  So, after we control any temptation to laugh or smile, we look at him with a very serious look (not stern, just serious), and say, "Ethan, that is not funny.  It's not funny that you go potty, it's just something that God made our bodies to do."  Oftentimes, it ends there, or he may ask a question about it.  When he asks questions, I try to stick to the policy of starting my answer with the word "God," because God is the beginning and end of all things, so He should be at the center of our conversations with our children.  I may say, "God wants our words to be pure and a blessing to others.  Potty is yucky, so it's not a blessing to others for you to talk about it."

Unfortunately, we live in a society where crass humor has become, not only acceptable, but lauded and common.  Too often, Christians fall in line with the rest of the world, and find humor and amusement in things that don't honor God.  Common courtesy has become uncommon, and a true gentleman is a rare gem.  Moms, join me in raising your little guys to be a rare breed.  Squelch their desire to entertain people with foul, impolite topics.  Teach them to think on and talk about things that are pure and edifying to those around them.  Laughter is a blessing in our home, but we never have to compromise on the principles in God's Word to find joy, and neither do you!