Warning: this post contains references to defacatory material; proceed at your own risk!
Last week, mrs tg and I arrived home to find that our dog had found one of our grandchildren's soiled Pampers and torn it up on our living room rug. In the ensuing cleanup process, I observed that it probably was a mistake for the diaper to have been left where the dog could get it (rather than thrown away in the lidded trash can).
I should share some background. Early in our marriage, mrs tg was not a good housekeeper. Actually, that is a gross understatement. Indeed, to suggest she isn't a very good housekeeper today would be true enough, but she may be among the most improved housekeepers on the planet.
So, she became rather defensive over my implication that she was partly responsible for the mess strewn across the rug. Now, it isn't as if a dog can be held accountable for acting like a dog. But in her mind, this incident was completely his fault. She accused me of treating her as if she still routinely indulges the unsanitary habits of her youth. Yes, this was now an aberration, but it still would have been nice had she been able to say, "Oh, I'm sorry, I should've taken care of that," acknowledging her role in the (fecal) matter.
I somehow managed not to vocalize my thoughts, because had I actually let out with a "What.EVER . . . ," in the course of that cleanup, well, the shit might have really hit the fan.
Yesterday, at lunch time, I found another diaper on the family room floor. I managed to indicate it to her as I calmly threw it away, again steering clear of the condescending smugness that I'd surely have indulged in our earlier life together.
The point of all this isn't that my wife needs to be more consistent in taking care of diapers. Rather: if I eschew condescension, any real issues will probably provide a better opportunity for their resolution.
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