To not want to wipe my nephew's bum?

[Upwind]

My DH's nephew has just turned 4 and was visiting last night with SIL. He called me to wipe his bum having done a spectacularly stinky poo.

He wanted me to wipe it, but I said it was a job for Mummy I've no doubt she would have preferred that I deal with it. So was I being unreasonable, would you have done it?

[foxytocin]

I remember wiping my cousin's bum when he was 4 or 5 and I was in my 20s. He used to bellow 'I'm finished!' It never crossed my mind not to do it. He's now 18 and I wonder what he would think of that now if I told him about it.

I also wiped my baby brother's who is 7 yrs younger than me.

[DontCallMeBaby]

4yos arms are too short, they can't reach over their heads to their ears, therefore they can't wipe their own bums, therefore they shouldn't be in school. I think that's my mum's theory anyway.

[Anna8888]

My DSS1 (13) wipes my DD's bottom...

[Lazycow]

As to playdates, I wouldn't leave ds on his own for a playdate yet. I wouldn't leave him until he was much nearer 5 years old anyway.

My personal opinion is that a lot of 4 year olds are too young to be left on their own for a playdate anyway.

[Twiglett]

well Anna .. now you ask

do I like their parent? and would I be happy to share a glass of something with them when they come to pick up for an hour or so?

does the child whinge or whine?

will the child expect to interact with me? Or will it run off and play with my children and leave me alone.

[Twiglett]

[Upwind]

[Twiglett]

playdates are for ME of course .. that goes without saying doesn't it?

[nooka]

Mine weren't great at doing a good job, and dd has sensitive skin there, so we had more of the "can you check my bottom" yell (with bum high in the air). I would have avoided the spectacularly stinky poo too

[quickdrawmcgraw]

Twiglett- shouldn't you add that a child who expects you to make something with it that involves flour/glitter/paint/food colouring should also be crossed from the list.

or a child that wheedles all the week's chocolate biscuit ration out of you.

I also object to wiping bums of playdates but my neice or nephew...I wouldn't mind at all.

[Twiglett]

fairly sure both of those were covered in not wanting them to interact with me but to go and play

[Gobbledigook]

I would have just done it - if he was my nephew or anyone else's child.

I'm surprised so many people expect a 4 year old to be completely independent in terms of bottom wiping. Plenty of children this age ask for help.

[wabbit]

I would have done it... wouldn't have been a 'pleasure' exactly but too trivial to call mummy upstairs just so I could be spared the pongyness!

[ForeverOptimistic]

Most children this age aren't particularly good at wiping their own bum. When ds was 3 and a half he decided to wipe his own bottom for the first time on the same day that we had a camera crew in the house. I went into the bathroom to check on ds when he promptly fell of the loo with the soiled toilet paper in his hand and managed to get poo all over me and up the bloody walls.

Ds is perfectly capable of wiping his own now but the image of my poo stained favourite white shirt and the state of our bathroom is ingrained in my memory so I am still doing it for him as I don't want a repeat performance.

[ForeverOptimistic]

Forgot to say that I would have called the mum to do it if she was in the house. I only wipe bottoms when absolutely necessary.

[PinkyDinkyDooToo]

4 year old should be able to wipe it himself IMO

[LilRedWG]

If Mum is there - it's their job. If not, of course I'd do it or at least supervise.

[tori32]

Not if mum was there if I was you.
For myself as a nurse and CM I am used to wiping other childrens/adult bums so no biggie for me.