It's My Business!

I'm not joking when I say that one of Vivi's earliest words was privacy.  Or, as she said it, pri-a-see.  I first discovered that she knew the word when she kept repeating it while pulling on the sun shade of her stroller.  When I got the message and finally pulled it down she quickly relaxed into sleep.  Thus began her frequent demands for pri-a-see, both in the stroller and while on the potty.  

So it is no surprise, as she nears the age of four, that having her privacy is still of utmost importance.  Her bedroom is now officially a "turtle-free zone" and it is not uncommon to find that she has locked the door while she is in the bathroom.  I'm fine with this.  There's nothing in our tiny bathroom that could hurt her and I can absolutely identify with wanting a quiet place free of interruption, even if it is just for a couple of minutes.

Lately though, her privacy demands are mostly because she doesn't want anyone to see her "business."  The phase of getting naked and loving it has been replaced by a newfound sense of modesty.  We have never told her that she needs to cover up but we have explained that she needs to take care of her body and that some people like to keep their business private.  (So that's why when you are in a dressing room with mommy she would really prefer that you not swing the door wide open.)

As the weather has warmed here and we've been spending more time outside, Vivi is trying to negotiate keeping her business private with the occasional neccessity of relieving one's self outdoors.  The other day we were at a local park that has a playground as well as a wide, open field.  The park is surrounded on roughly three sides with houses and a line of trees on the fourth side.  I was feeding her sisters when she came up to me.

Mama I gotta go poop!
Do you want me to help you?
I want my privacy so no one can see my business.
Ok, well, go find a quiet spot and yell to me when you want me to come wipe and pick up the poop.

So off she went and I continued to feed her sisters.  When I heard her yelling, I stood up and scanned the line of trees.  No Vivi.  As my eyes moved over the park, I spotted her-- naked tushie saluting the sky smack dab in the middle of the open field.

I guess we all have different levels of privacy.