Parenting can be a whimsical adventure, but it’s not all rainbows and butterflies. For every heartwarming moment, there are ten that are downright messy—sometimes, literally. One dad’s recent Facebook post has gone viral, reminding us just how chaotic parenting can get.
Meet Tom Reddick
Tom is a father who found himself in the middle of a poop storm when his toddler, Emma, decided to embark on a messy exploration of her diaper. It all began as a typical day: Tom’s partner, Lisa, was off teaching her fitness class, his son was at school, and little Emma was napping peacefully. With some rare alone time, Tom settled down for a YouTube binge in his “man cave.”
But when the craving for chocolate cake struck, he ventured upstairs, unknowingly stepping into a nightmare. That’s when he caught a whiff of something truly awful and, at first, thought it might be one of the dogs. “I see nothing… then my heart sinks as the odor leads me to the upper floor,” he recalls.
The Poopocalypse Unfolds
Arriving at Emma’s room, Tom was met with a sight that would make any parent’s blood run cold. “There she was, standing at the baby gate, completely naked, holding her diaper, and covered from head to toe in her own mess. This was no minor situation; I’m talking layers of poop all over her arms, legs, face, and even in her hair. It was beyond bad—far worse than any previous diaper escapade.”
Initially, Tom considered shutting the door and pretending he hadn’t seen anything. After all, Lisa had just celebrated Mother’s Day, and he didn’t want to be “that guy.” Paralyzed with indecision, he opted for a hands-off approach instead. “Finding a clean spot to grab her was impossible, so I just knocked the baby gate over and let her walk out on her own. Instead of heading for the bathroom, she beamed at me and reached out for a hug. I yelled, ‘Hell No!’”
Operation Cleanup
With Emma heading in the opposite direction of the tub, Tom had to act fast. “I was forced to scoop her up—using just two fingers on each hand to avoid the mess—and shuffle us both to the bathroom.” Once in the tub, the real battle began. “She kept trying to touch me with her poop-covered hands while I screamed like a teenage girl and dodged her. After what felt like an eternity, I finally managed to clean the mess out of her hair and everywhere else.”
But the chaos didn’t end there. “I hadn’t even looked in her room yet. When I finally did, it was like a scene from a horror movie, or a German fetish dream, if you will. It looked as if Hurricane Poop had swept through, leaving a cataclysm of filth in its wake.”
With thoughts of setting the house ablaze dancing in his head, Tom decided it was time to call Lisa. Together, they faced the disaster, armed with two rolls of paper towels, five borrowed gym towels, a bottle of Pine-Sol, and bleach. “After two and a half hours, her room still smelled like a dumpster fire.”
A Cautionary Tale
Tom shared his tale not just for laughs but as a cautionary tale for new parents, hoping to instill a bit of fear in them. “At least I won’t have to clean baby poop out of her playset’s gears again!”
Cheers to that! For more parenting advice and stories, check out our other posts, including this one on the importance of maintaining perspective during those messy moments in parenting.
In summary, when it comes to parenting, expect the unexpected—especially when it comes to toddler poop.