Recently, I was asked by a mom if her six year old should be able to wipe herself after using the restroom. My answer was, "all children need to be trained to take care of their basic hygiene needs as soon as they become potty trained." For one, it's good hygiene, and second, your child will not always be in your presence when using the restroom. Therefore, parents must teach their children to wipe themselves in order to not rely on someone else.
For example, during my second year of teaching prekindergarten, I had a male student that would yell for my assistance in the bathroom that connected to the classroom. He continued to yell until I was able to pry myself from a classroom of fifteen students to wipe his bottom. Mind you, this was a completely capable 4 year old that insisted I take care of his hygiene needs.
So, I know your wondering if I wiped his bottom, and the answer is "yes, I helped him the first time." But...I did not leave the restroom before having a heart-to-heart conversation. I told the young student that he would need to wipe his own bottom the next time and that he should begin practicing at home. However, a couple of days later, we ran into the same problem again. However, this time I closed the bathroom door so he would not disturb the entire classroom. I also gave him step by step directions on what to do from outside the bathroom door, and after a few more minutes of protesting, came silence. I assumed the young man took care of his own needs without involving me, and the best part of all... the problem never arose again!
All in all, parents need to teach their children to take care of some basic needs such as feeding themselves, appropriately communicating with others, and properly using the restroom. We cannot expect educators, camp counselors, aides, etc. to take time out of their busy day to wipe the hind ends of capable children.
If you have any comments or questions, I'd love to hear them. You may respond to this post or personally email me!
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