the cup

i realize that this situation is probably 90% my fault, but still......

after i potty trained william around christmas last year, i was faced with the problem of what to do when we were in the car and he needed to go. i wasn't too sure about him getting out and peeing on a tree or bush because i didn't want him to think that was acceptable in say, our neighbor's yard, for instance. so, i came up with the idea of a cup. i keep a stack of paper cups in my car, and when he needs to go i pull over, he pees in the cup, i dump it out, he climbs back in his seat, and we go on our merry way. i'm beginning to realize that my cup scenario may be flawed....not because he took a whiz on the fence at the buffalo park (though, that should have tipped me off) but because of the following story.

one day last week, everybody was up, fed and dressed, but we didn't have to be anywhere for an hour or so. william said that he wanted to play in his room for a while, so i told him to go ahead. wes and i went to clean up the kitchen and left william playing happily in his room. about 30 minutes later, i walk in his room to find him stacking pillows on top of one another in the corner of his room. the bed is unmade, and there is a huge wet spot in the middle of it. the conversation goes something like this:

me (very cautiously): "william, why is there a wet spot in your bed?"
william (very matter of factly): "i had to tee tee."
of course, i'm furious. me: "what? you tee teed on your bed!?!?"
william: "no."
me (getting louder): "yes, you did!! there's a big wet spot in your bed!"
william: "no, i didn't. i tee teed in the cup."
there is a cup in his room that i keep beside his bed for when he turns into a camel before he goes to bed and just has to have a drink of water.
me: "then what did you do with it?"
william (again matter of factly): "dumped it out."

chase told me i couldn't be mad because that's what i taught him to do. so fine. no toys while we tee tee. no cups in the bedrooms. and, don't be alarmed if my child pees on your bush while he's at your house!