Duty Calls!

Another great memory from summers at the Children’s Center also took place at Lake Bistineau State Park. Our regular summer routine included taking the children to the swimming pool at State Park #2 every Tuesday and Thursday. We would separate at the front door of the pool area and each would go their respective ways. Girls in the girl’s dressing room. Boys in the boys. Most of our children were between the ages of 5 and 12. And it was common place for the older kids to assist the younger ones. They were all pretty good about that.

On this day, we were all lined out. We established a pretty effective routine. Our lifejackets were all assigned. Everyone was sun screened and checked off. The towels were all hung on the fence and all the supervisors had taken their positions around the pool. We were ready for a day in the sun.

The pool had some really terrific lifeguards. They were mainly young high school students from the area. It wasn’t unusual for us to bring some extra sandwiches for the lifeguards. We had established a pretty good rapport with them and as a result they were very attentive to our children.

One of the female lifeguards came out of the girl’s room and walked over to me. I was standing at the shallow end of the pool settling an argument over whose turn it was to play with the pool toys. The lifeguard walked up to me and said, “Mrs. Chris, one of your girls needs you in the bathroom.” I thanked her and made my way to the bathroom. At first I thought it must be one of our younger ones having problems with their bathing suit.

I entered the changing room and gently called out, “Hello! Who’s in here?” No answer. So, I walked into the bathroom area and still didn’t see anyone. “Hello, is anyone in here?” I looked under the stall doors and didn’t see any feet. Whoever it was must have taken care of it. I was about to leave and I heard a meek little voice say……”I’m here.” I turned around and walked back near the stalls trying to see where it came from. “Who’s is that?” I said. “It’s me, Hannah.” I bent down to look under the stalls again and still didn’t see any feet. “Hannah, where are you?” I said “Right here.” While she was talking I opened the door to all the stalls. “Right where, baby, I can’t see you.” There she was in the last stall. Hannah was barely five years old. She was one of our new kids. She was a tiny blonde headed cute little thing.
“What’s the problem, honey?” I said.
“I pooped.”
“Okay, that’s nice. So?”
“I need you to wipe me.”
“What? You are kidding me, right?”
“No, mam. My Momma wipes my butt.”
“Well, that’s great but I’m not your momma, Honey. You can’t do that yourself?”
“No, mam.”
“Now Hannah, you are a big girl now and you need to do big girls things.”
Hannah began to whimper. “Please, Mrs. Chris, wipe my butt . I can’t do it.”

A hundred things went through my mind in those few minutes while I was taking my best shot at convincing her that this was something she needed to do herself. I didn't want her to see but my gag mechanism was on high alert. Once I realized I wasn’t getting through, I wondered how in the world I was going to do this. Other than my own child, this was not something I was accustomed to. I pondered it for a second and then it occurred to me. ‘Wait a minute, I own the Center. That makes me the boss….. I don’t have to do this. …..I have people! …..I know, I’ll get one of my people to do this.’ I was so proud of myself. I was so proud that I had figured this out. I always told my employees that I would never have them do anything that I wasn’t willing to do myself. And while that was all true everything changed for me at this moment because I was the boss….thank goodness.

I told Hannah to hold on that someone would be in shortly to help her. I told her not to worry that we would take care of this. I exited the girl’s bathroom and made my way to the area where all the supervisors were sitting. Julie Vogel was the first one who acknowledged that something might be wrong. I’m sure I had ‘a look’ on my face. She looked up at me and said ‘Is everything okay, Mrs. Chris?” She had no idea what was awaiting her in the girl’s bathroom. Julie was a great employee. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do if I asked her. She was always so attentive to the kids and she was great about anticipating situations and taking charge. I knew that she was the one to do this and I knew that she would be thoughtful of Hannah.

“Yes, hon would you go check on Hannah? I told her.“ She is in the girl’s bathroom.” I was sure that Julie was thinking the same thing I was. …that Hannah was just having bathing suit problems. “Sure” she said. Julie jumped up and made her way to the bathroom.

I took her seat at the pool and waited for the end results. No pun intended. After several minutes Hannah emerged from the girl’s bathroom. She was all smiles and she stopped to put her lifejacket on and then jumped in the pool. Julie came out after her. There was no expression on her face. I had thought to myself, “Gee, she took that well.” She made her way over to us and sat down in one of the lawn chairs. She still didn’t say anything. I was surprised that she wasn’t willing to share that experience. We never kept anything from each other when it came to the kids. A few minutes passed and I couldn’t stand it any longer. “Are you mad at me?”

“You knew?” she said surprisingly. “Well, yea!” She glared at me while waiting for an explanation. “ I own the Center…… I have people……I have you!….. And I don’t do butts!”
I can’t tell you what she called me but it’s sufficient to say that it wasn’t complimentary. We both busted out laughing. She took it like the champ she is.

Years would pass and we would retell that story and laugh. Respectfully, of course. Once I retired, I sold the Children’s Center to Julie. She’s the boss now and I have it on good authority that she ‘doesn’t do butts’ either.

Hannah would spend many years at the Children’s Center with us and some of our favorite stories are centered on her. She was a very unique little girl. She was creative. She was different and we absolutely loved her.