Poop at the Dinner Table · 28 November 2008
I doubt that anybody would think it normal that potty talk is prevalent at our dinner table. It might make sense for new parents to discuss how many dirty diapers were changed in the day, but I would venture to say that the word “poop” does not enter every dinner conversation at most homes. Unfortunately, it does at ours. And it is normally my wife who brings up the subject.
Our family usually sits down to dinner together almost every night. Even with an older teenager, we manage to have that nightly family meal except when we are all intensely involved with fall sports. Most nights, we sit down at the table, say grace, and have dinner together. In today’s society, that we sit down to dinner seems like a miracle in and of itself, but it is one of the top priorities for our family. For us, the real miracle is when we get through one of those sit-down meals with no mention of poop.
My wife, The Mindboggling Mrs. Miyoshi, insists that she is just trying to fit in with the boys when she says “poop” at dinner. She says that she is adhering to the adage, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” The problem with her argument is that she is usually the one to bring up poop and other gross subjects. She is the one who talks about bodily functions like throwing up and pooping more than anybody else. I really think that she likes it when the boys laugh at her for saying the word “poop.”
I think that the subject of poop started to come up when the boys were still in diapers. For some reason, parents of babies talk about poop and pee and throw up more than any other people. But it makes sense. After all, bodily functions are such a big part of a baby’s life. Most people stop talking about those things when the babies get older, but I think that The Mindboggling Mrs. Miyoshi misses those days of talking about human excrement and needs to at least say the word “poop” daily to make her day complete.
When nobody else has brought up the subject during dinner, she has to say the word. As a matter of fact, she often starts dinner off with poop just so that we do not miss out on having the subject mentioned at the table. No, she does not serve poop as it seems I just suggested. She merely talks about it in some way. Like mentioning that the kids picked up the dog poop in the yard. Or just saying the word, “poop” with no rhyme or reason other than that she just needed to get the word out of her mouth. I know it is gross, but The Mindboggling Mrs. Miyoshi seems to like poop. At least the subject.
I guess that poop at the dinner table is not really such a bad tradition. The kids seem to think it is funny and have gotten into the act of making sure somebody says the word before we all leave the dinner table at our sit-down meals. Sometimes, they even say it when we have guests over. In the end, I suppose that it does not really matter what we talk about when we are having meals together. The important thing is that we are together. Even if somebody needs to say, “POOP,” before it is over.
© 2008 Michael T. Miyoshi
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