I never thought I would write this word on paper but, here it is:

Poop.

While we spend most of our lives being taught not to talk about our bodily functions as part of a public conversation, once a baby enters the picture it becomes as much of a staple as “How was your day?”

When my son Jack was born, my husband and I were even given a poop/pee log so that we could monitor and write down every void our precious bundle made.  

Today, 18 months later, it continues to amaze me how this taboo topic has wormed its way into my life in such a casual way.

“Did he have a BM today?” is pretty much the first thing I want to know upon picking Jack up from anywhere.

When he was an infant this information was of vital importance and would usually be accompanied by “What color was it?” and “What did it look like?” now, it’s more of a self-serving inquiry.

If he’s already pooped, odds are that I won’t have to deal with a dirty diaper. Luckily, when I pick him up from day care all I have to do is read his daily activity sheet because it’s all right there--and time-stamped to boot.

Speaking of day care, we are currently transitioning to the toddler room where potty training will begin.

This opens up a whole new world of poop because not only will I be talking to other adults about Jack's pooping, but he will be able to join in the dialogue as well.

In fact, he’s already begun telling me it’s happened (after the fact) and I find myself encouraging him to do so as it will help me figure out when to rush him to the potty.

As he gets older, this subject will again fade into the background and most likely become something I admonish him not to talk about at the dinner table while I wonder how he could become so fixated on such a disgusting topic.

I just hope my future self is secretly smiling and remembering “the good old days” when poop was the most uncomfortable conversation I had to have with him.