Soap and Mirrors

It was my turn to pick the kids up from VBS today. J's dad and I have been taking turns. Our church is just over 12 miles away, one way, so the ride-sharing is much appreciated. Approximately 5 minutes after loading the kids up in the car and heading for home, Caitlin, she of small bladder control, busts out with "Mommy, I have to potty!" Really, Caitlin? You couldn't have told me this at church, where there are bathrooms?

Using my mommy radar, I keenly observed that we were driving by a Rite-Aid drugstore. Surely they have a bathroom there! Since the law frowns upon me leaving my kids in the car when I'm in the store, I unloaded Brandon, Caitlin, and J from the car and went into Rite-Aid. They have quite nice bathrooms at this one, I must say. No actual people shopping, but really nice bathrooms. Brandon has not wanted anything to do with the women's bathroom this year, so I've been letting him have a little freedom. He can use the men's bathroom and wait for me in the hall. After Caitlin was done, we washed hands and met the boys in the hall. Brandon then told me that J had hit the soap dispenser a lot, and so hard that there was soap on the mirrors. There was no one in the men's bathrooms, so I went in to check in out.

Soap. Everywhere.

Images of Brandon and J, in high school, riding in a convertible car entered my head. Brandon's driving slowly past rural houses while J is leaning out of the car hitting the mailboxes off their posts with a baseball bat. Lovely. Coming back to reality, I notice there is foam soap all over the walls, two mirrors, the sink and the floor. Foam soap! How hard to you have to hit the dispenser to get this stuff to fly? And why would you? Seriously, J? What is wrong with you? Hasn't anyone ever told you that this stuff is wrong?

After 10 minutes of mopping up soap and wiping down mirrors and cleaning up as best as one can when all you have is public bathroom paper towels , we finally left he store. I kept my head down and rushed out so that the security cameras wouldn't see my face. I was ashamed to have this kid under my watch. Why would he do that? My kids wouldn't, and they're pretty average kids. Is it because he's unsupervised? He hasn't lived next door for very long, and I can already see that he gets away with a lot. I just don't know. This is a bit crazy for me. I hope it doesn't get worse.