Out House

Ah the joys of indoor plumbing!  As a child I remember having to use the outhouse a few times at my grandparents.  I wasn’t very old when they moved into a house that had indoor plumbing,  but I knew from my parents, who had grown up without the privilege that an out house is COLD in the winter and very HOT in the summer.  The smells depend upon your latest application of lime to mask the smells. Toilet paper was not an option but Sears and Roebuck catalogs were as well as corn cobs??  WHAT!!!

We cannot fathom the normal for them.  Our lives are very pleasant in some very basic ways. We have temperature controlled rooms designated for privacy with smooth seats and soft cushy paper specifically designed to pamper our derrières!  Still, I believe that should not be taken for granted.  

I have had a few boys and sometimes they think it is fun to annoy their brother by not flushing the toilet after they complete their visit.  Since I pay for the water to flush, the paper to clean and the air/heat to make your visit comfortable, I find that offensive.  It is particularly offensive when I happen to be upstairs working and need to use this bathroom that is part of the house I am paying the bills for.  

Just image, if you will, what would happen if a mother, in need of a potty break, found a deposit left by a previous ‘sitter’!  My response was easy!  There was a simple lack of understanding!  So I encouraged a little experiment.  The two boys who were in a flush war could simply take their ‘sitting’ elsewhere. Hand shovels were assigned with a roll of toilet paper and instructions of ‘Head to the hills, boys!’, were given!

It didn’t take long for reality to set in.  Especially when you play too long and realize when you have GOT to GO, that you need to walk for a short distance into the woods and some preparations need to be made! Three days passed and many promises of future flushing allowed for a return to indoor facilities.  I must say that the effect was worth the effort.  I recommend this example of privilege to anyone who has similar problems.  

Now before you say, but I don’t live in the country, or I can’t make my child use the back yard,  let me tell you about my friend.  She was amused by my tale and had a similar problem in her house but  living in town she could not see an answer.  I assured her that her child could experience the same effect by being required to run up to the corner gas station every time he had a need!  Be ingenious!  You will have somethings to laugh about when they are grown!