Oct 2, 2012

The Commode Controversy

Last night, I caught myself huffing a bit to myself as I rushed to the bathroom to find myself confronted with a toilet seat in the "up" position.  As I took all of ten seconds to lower the seat, I began to wonder- why is "down" correct?  Why is my way the "right' way? (These questions are not ones which you should discuss with your husband, by the way- your way being the only way should never be questioned).


But ladies, why is our way the "correct" way?  Courtesy to the fairer sex?  Because Emily Post likes the seat down?

Anyway, it's so easy to get wrapped up in a self-righteous fuss about the rudeness of leaving the toilet seat down.   Then you take the five to ten seconds required to lower it and realize that it's completely minor, and that you have bigger fish to fry.  Sometimes I need a reminder that courtesy works both ways.  There are a lot of minor things that I likely drive Hubs crazy with (whaaatttt?, moi? never!), but he lets go because he loves me.  It's easy to become a martyr, but a couple of deep breaths and a quick glance at the big picture are an easy way to keep myself in check.

So quick vent- pet peeves?  What does your husband/roommate/dog/neighbor do that drives you batty?  Let it all out, then (deep breath, deep breath) let it go! 

14 comments:

  1. I have this discussion with my husband too & I've decided that DOWN is correct, because both sexes use DOWN & only 1 uses UP. That's my story & I'm sticking to it! Ha!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I understand what you are saying but at my house I prefer for the seat and lid to be down. I don't want to see the inside of the toilet unless I am about to use it. Also, I have a 1 year old who is unbelievably quick at sticking his little hand in the commode. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm with KTB - that was always my assumption as well. But I really don't mind putting the lid down. I DO mind that E takes his suit off every night and lays it over the hamper. It's not dirty (and if it was, it wouldn't go in that hamper anyway) - he just doesn't hang it up. He will...eventually...probably on Saturday, but it drives me insaaaaaaaaane! (A) it covers the hamper opening so we end up just throwing dirty clothes on the floor around the hamper. (B) HOW HARD IS IT TO HANG UP YOUR SUIT????

    ReplyDelete
  4. Luckily, my husband puts the seat down. I think it's best to put the lid down as well - much neater looking. Although, my son who is 5 is another story...:)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Truth be told, my bigger pet peeve is with the women in my office building - I would rather see the seat up than come in and see pee all over it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm a lid-down person as well. I have a fear that something important will fall into the potty if the lid or seat is up (i.e. phone, soapdish, hair dryer, makeup bag). We are still working on my husband's agreement with this policy ;)

    And to make matters worse, he is a "under" guy versus an "over" guy when it comes to toilet paper orientation -- I can't stand it. I like to have the TP end coming out on top versus the underside of the roll. Same goes for paper towels. Drives. Me. Batty.

    ReplyDelete
  7. We have separate bathrooms at the office and my husband always puts the seat down so I haven't given it much thought. I'm with Em though - I don't want to see the inside of the toilet.

    My current minor pet peeve that I need to let go of - the "proper" placement of silverware in the dishwasher. I cook, Brian does dishes. He's the only one who ever unloads the dishwasher and insists that the silverware be sorted in the dishwasher. I just throw the silverware in whatever bucket it lands in, mixing forks, spoons and knives. This drives him bonkers. I know I should just play along and sort the silverware but it seems ridiculous to me. Does anyone else sort silverware in the dishwasher?

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am lucky because I have actually never once had to tell my husband to put the seat down. He is a champ at this. His momma raised him well.

    BUT - dishes in the sink? Oh this drives me batty. One day he'll master this too....maybe?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Luckily the toilet seat has never been an issue. I become more annoyed by our guests who leave it up haha. His thing is leaving his shoes and socks under the coffee table. If I left it alone he'd run out of clean socks before moving them to the hamper lol.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I *need* the seat to be down before we go to bed, at least. I'm too sleepy when I go to the washroom in the middle of the night to remember to put it down!
    A little thing he does that I've learned to let go: he leaves his shoes -- both pairs -- right in front of the front door. Serenity now.....

    ReplyDelete
  11. My case has always been this: While I always need the seat down to use it, my husband needs the seat down a portion of the time to use it as well. That being said, the majority of toilet uses are with the seat down. So, since the odds are that it will need to be down, it's best to return it to that position.

    And, actually, I prefer the lid down as well. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. And, also, all men NEED to learn that a happy wife = a happy life.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ha! I was so frustrated with a summer houseguest who kept leaving the seat up before he went to bed....when i got up as a still mostly asleep middle of the night Peggie pee run I would fall in. Oh the frustration!

    ReplyDelete
  14. down is correct because the lid should be down too! its important for keeping the animals from drinking the water and babies from throwing things in. these are very important things!

    ReplyDelete

I love to hear from y'all, so drop me a line!