Toy in the Toilet might mean drain cleaning

As a mom, we have to deal with a lot of stuff.

Drama when kids fight over a toy.

Drama as our child goes to their first day of school.

Drama as our kid has their first serious sickness or injury.

Drama as our children complain about the food they are served.

Kids don’t mean to be drama queens. But they are. And as moms, we manage it- either by being drama queens ourselves, having our own tantrums, having a glass of wine after dinner, taking a hot bath, or going out on a date night with friends or a partner. (Or the half million other strategies we have found to manage all that is Parenting.)

My favorite thing about parenting is that we are all doing our best. We don’t ever wake up in the morning and say, “Today, I’m going to be a terrible parent.” We all do our best.

And, our kids help us mature in “our best efforts” by teaching us, in their very special way, how to manage drama.

What do you do when your child flushes a toy?

1. First, accept that you are being given an opportunity to manage some drama. Drama Management 201.

2. Second, a plunger usually doesn’t work. Don’t bother.

Even if you are able to push the item through, it doesn’t mean it won’t cause a clog. We actually had a customer that required a sewer camera to find out what the problem was and there was a toy car perfectly (or frustratingly) wedged at a bend that caused several back-ups. Which means in some cases you may want to:

3. Third, pull the toilet.

Some handy folks can do this themselves, but most people prefer to call a plumber. There are YouTube videos on how to do this, if you want to see what it takes and be adventurous.

In all, it is better to retrieve the flushed child’s toy rather than to “push it through”. So, get some towels and get out your rubber gloves, Momma. Or, better yet, delegate this task to someone else.

And then get some child locks for the toilet until they are a little older.

Congratulations, you have met the prerequisite for Drama Management 301. I expect your reports by next Monday. Or next Mother’s Day. Whenever you have time, really.