Mr. Pick-It-And-Flick-It

Like any busy parent, I don’t always get a chance to clean my car as much as I should. While the outside of the car is fine, it’s usually the area around Justin’s car seat that becomes a collection of the “remnants of snacks gone by.” If you are ever hungry and in my car (and can live with not knowing how long a food item has been in the back seat), you can have yourself a feast! I’ve pulled out blueberry muffin pieces, chips, crackers, gummy worms, dried (yet still sticky) soda, raisins, nuts, granola bar pieces, cheerios, gum, more blueberry muffin pieces, Chex Mix, melted M&Ms, etc. When I lift up his car seat to clean under it, it’s like a time capsule!

If there is time to wash the car, I usually opt to do it myself. Justin likes to help and we do a fine job…and then, when Justin is busy, I immediately take the car over to be professionally cleaned by someone else.

Last week, I spent $34.00 to get the car cleaned and waxed from bumper to bumper. And, I took Justin with me so he could see the process. When the job was completed, the car looked amazing! I was truly impressed. I then loaded Justin back into the car to run a few more errands and as we left the parking lot, I head him make a couple of “sniffling” noises. I asked him if he was ok and he assured me that he was. I looked in the rear view mirror and watched him go knuckle deep up his nose to dig out something that was clearly bothering him. After a few more minutes, he announced “BOOGER” and asked me to take it. Since I was driving, I asked him to hold on a few minutes until I could take care of it…..and that was the last I’d heard of the booger – until…..

We got home a few hours later. When I unbuckled him, something in the back of my head said “Ask about the booger.” I released Justin from his car seat and asked, “Justin, where is the booger?” He looked at me with a blank expression. I asked a second time, “Justin, where did you put the booger?” He continued to look at me like he had no idea what I was talking about. I then got nervous and asked the question I didn’t really want the answer to, “Justin, did you eat your booger?” He ERUPTED with laugher as if it were the funniest thing he had ever heard, “EWWWWWW, DADDY. NOOOOOO!”

Relieved, I asked a third and final time. “Justin, you told me you had a booger. Where is it?” He then smiled with pride (as I realized in retrospect) and pointed to the car window. I turned my head and there was his latest art project. Justin had finger-painted with the booger on my newly cleaned windows. My little Priluck had turned “Pollock.” He had flicked his booger onto the window and continued to spread it out into a green, yellow, and clear-ish, gooey smiley face.

The lesson here is – when a child hands you a booger, take it. The other options are much worse!