It's yuckies up in there

"It's yuckies up in there," is what Noah says when he discovers a spot, a mess, a stray leaf, or any other "yucky" item in the house. We find it hilarious that he identifies "yuckies" as being "up in there." We also have no idea where he got that one from.

As parents, we try really hard to not freak out when he identifies a yucky up in there. It's often not worth it when you can easily clean up whatever the yucky is. It is less easy to maintain the calm when he declares, "I made a mess!" I hope we can maintain that calm as Noah gets older and the yuckies get bigger.

In my role at an institution of higher education, I have the occasion to interact with parents who are reacting to their babies declaring, "it's yuckies up in there!" Between sometimes dirty roommates, interpersonal conflicts, and mental health concerns there are a lot of yuckies all around the campus. All of the parents I interact with do not have the same level of calm that Lyndsie and I try to exude.

I don't know if the calm we try to feel during those moments will change. I'm not a naturally calm person internally so it is often challenging to maintain it externally. Perhaps as our son gets older, the reactions will become more vivid and intense? Perhaps by the time Noah reaches college we'll be fed up with yuckies everywhere and so react more strongly? Perhaps there are simply parents in the world who enable entitlement?

All in all, I'm blessed to have the job I have and thankful for the positive interactions with those around me, parents included. Sometimes, I wish the parents who call me would exhibit a little more restraint in their protectiveness. Then again, when Noah calls me from college I may not be in a place to exercise restraint and may have to start screaming, "it's yuckies up in there!"