Isaac and the Hare

Last week sometime the boys and I were at Sam's Club with my Mom shopping for a few things. We were browsing around, checking out this and that, just taking our sweet old time when out of thin air Isaac exclaimed at the top of his lungs "I have to go poooottty!" Pretty typical for Isaac. I think he has a thing for public restrooms (ew!), or maybe he's just not into shopping like his mother is and uses a trip (or four) to the restroom as a way to entertain himself and drive me absolutely batty. Heck I don't know, he's three - you figure it out. So I asked Keven Jr. if he had to go, which surprise! surprise! all of a sudden he had to go too. So off to the restroom we went. I let the both of them go into the Men's Restroom together, and then hung out close by waiting for them to come out. I noticed that there was an elderly lady waiting on someone too. While the two of us were waiting in silence a female customer came strolling up to the restrooms and headed right for the Men's Room. She reached out to push the door open and started to walk in and then did a double take at the sign and quickly turned around and headed for the Woman's Room instead. I still don't know why I just stood there and watched her do it, not once giving a thought to getting her attention to alert her as to what she was about to do. I think I was just curious to see if she'd actually go in - I mean I've done it before. Haven't you? Oh. Well. Okay then. After the female customer headed into the correct restroom, the elderly lady spoke up and started telling me a story about a similar experience she had in which she walked into a Men's Restroom and didn't know it (SEE! I'm not the only one, so there!). She said she went in to wash her hands, and when she went to dry her hands off she turned around and saw a row of urinals. It wasn't until that moment that she realized what she had done. Bless her soul. In the middle of her story the Men's Restroom door flew open and out came two little boys who were laughing and goofing off and right behind them was an elderly man. He walked right up to me and said with bulging eyes "I can't believe you'd let a little girl go into the MEN'S RESTROOM." He was absolutely shocked at my motherly actions. And before I could respond with anything, the wife spoke up and told her husband that it was okay, after all 'her brother was just helping her out'. Well. Okay then. For some reason at that moment I had no words. I just looked the man dead in the face and was shocked at how shocked he was that I let my child, MY BOY, go in the Men's Restroom. I was a slight bit confused perhaps? In past instances where something like this happened, I'd just politely correct the person and move on, not skipping a beat, but that day I was just - speechless. And I'm not going to lie, this isn't the first time that Isaac's been mistaken for a little girl. With the long hair and the precious curls and all I can see why people would at first glance mistake him for a little girl. Very stereotypical in my opinion but that's okay, I take no offense. I choose to keep his hair long, it sort of comes with the territory I suppose. But I have to ask in my defense, do people not pay attention to other characteristics belonging to the child? Like say perhaps the clothes they are wearing, or whether or not they have bows and ribbons in that long, curly hair that made whomever assume the child was a girl? Generally in my experiences no - not at all. I admit that he was in need of a haircut. And I admit that I was in love with his long, curly hair and didn't want to cut it. Isaac obviously could care less as he's more interested in trying to get away with eating chocolate for breakfast and breaking anything he can get his hands on. He's a handful and is 100% ALL BOY. A three year old boy, with a new haircut.

Now let me tell you this, while he might be lacking excessive amounts of hair, he's not lacking any personality at all. Yes Isaac, Mommy is a little sad too that you have hardly any hair left on your head.

Yes, I was a little shocked that the nice lady that cut your hair asked us what we'd like and then did what she wanted. She kept cutting, and cutting and cutting. Your hair got shorter, and shorter and shorter....

Yep, I too am still in shock!

It's okay, I'm still the same ole' Isaac!

It's not so bad. After all - he's still a cutie pie!