I had a similar experience in first grade, except I was wearing a skirt, and no one could tell, so I just went back to my seat and continued on with my work. Later in the day the teacher spotted the puddle and accused a kid named Brian of creating it since he had created one once before. Then she put poor Brian over her lap because she was convinced he was lying about not making the puddle and spanked him in front of all of us for lying about it.

I never said a word to anyone.

I would still rather piss on myself then do what I need to do in my life because I'm too scared

you are not alone...

It's never happened to me, but my brother once was spanked for peeing in class and denying it.

;)

I was in first grade and peed my pants in the lunch line (gross, I know). Being oh so clever, I told everyone my pants were wet because I fell in the peaches that someone had dropped the floor. I thought I was so smart until the lunch lady told me it smelled like pee, not peaches. What a bitch!

I can identify with this post, if only for a twist on the concluding thoughts. There are many days when I would rather be a child than deal with the frustrations and responsibilities of being a grown-up. How much easier is it to play and be a kid than clean and work!

I've been trying hard to think of a defining moment at that age, and I can't. I'm not sure if it's because I'm starting to forget my childhood or if it's just because nothing important happened then.

Oh, Y. A similar thing happened to me in 2nd grade. I had a terrible stomach ache at recess and suddenly had some uncontrollable poop that just came with no warning. I was mortified. Mortified. I have no idea why I didn't ask a teacher if I could go to the restroom after it happened. I just tried to pretend it wasn't there. After recess, I was sitting in class and it was Duso the Dolphin day (the day when a group of high schoolers would come to class to perform a Duso the Dolphin skit). I LOVED Duso the Dolphin day. After it had started, my sweet sweet teacher asked me to come to her desk. She asked if I had had an accident and sent me to the nurses office where my mom was already there with spare pants and undies. I was so relieved but also was crying because I was missing Duso. That day is such a vivid memory for me. Ugh.



I also have a pee story! In fifth grade gym class we were outside playing some game and I really had to go. The main reason I refused to ask to go? The bathroom in the 5th grade gym was haunted. We were all terrifed to use it. I think I would be scared to use it now! I was wearing shorts and so, as we started heading back to class in a single file line, I was at the end of the line and just squatted and peed and then ran and caught up with the class. I am so stupid!



And those are my two bathroom accidents (not counting period-related bathroom accidents, but those come much later!).

You've inspired me. I'm going to give this serious thought. It's amazing how much childhood affects our whole darn lives, since it's such a short phase of our lives.

'I would still rather piss on myself then do what I need to do in my life because I'm too scared."

Wow. Powerful. So incredibly powerful. The truth that resonated in my head with that insight made my eyes well up with tears.

Thank you for the beautifully written post.

~Jennifer

[lurk mode = off]

Wow. What a great post. I am so glad I found your blog so long ago.

Isn't funny (weird not ha ha) that we like to think that we have moved on from those fears we experienced when we where children yet deep down in our souls they are still there - waiting to remind us of our frailty when we least need it.

WOW...you made me cry!!

What a great post....You are definitely not alone in your feelings!! Thank you for sharing that!!

I am stopping lurking to say that you are really an incredible writer... Just FYI. :)

Beautiful.

(and you really know what you're doing when you approach the keyboard.)

Delurking just to say **HUGS**

Wow. Your writing is amazing. Thank you for being brave enough to share. I think I still have that same problem. I'd rather be silent and suffer through something awful than just speak up. Why is that so hard?

Oh my! I have almost an IDENTICAL story except that my teacher was a cow and called me out on it in front of the whole class. I was 7 and in grade three, which is a bit old to be peeing your pants but this woman was scary which is why I totally didn't want to ask. SCARY I TELL YOU (for some reason her Canadian accent made her even more scary, especially since it was an Australian school and the way she talked was soooo different to us... But that has nothing to do with this story...). I'm sure she called my mother - not out of concern but just to b*tch - because Mum went to the classroom to talk to her after school that day and told me later that if there is anything I ever needed I should always ask.

But Mum was so awesome and never mentioned it to me and we've never spoken about it since.

So there! I bet there are millions of us with the exact same, embarrasing stories. Think about it this way - all of us have peed our pants at one time or another and all of us have been scared and frustrated. You are by no means alone!

Just wanted to chime in with another identical story (I never knew this had happened to anyone else. Is it sad to hear that I feel much better about myself knowing that I wasn't alone?) I was 8 and in 3rd grade and I had to pee like a mess but for some reason (I can't remember if it was my fault or the teacher wouldn't let me) I didn't leave the classroom and start the sprint for the bathroom until very late. I ran down the hall to the bathroom and, horror of horrors, the door was locked. I had to run up the stairs to the next floor and by the time I made it to the toilet stall it was too late (it was awful. I was looking at the toilet itself and I just couldn't help it) I went back to class in tears and told my teacher that I'd slipped and fallen water. She sent me to the office to call my mom but I remember being so embarrassed and crying myself to sleep I was so mortified.
It makes me want to cry even now because I remember how stupid and baby-ish I felt.

I peed in math class once. That's not the embarrassing part though. The embarrassing part was that it was MATH FOR NERDS, an extra class you could take VOLUNTARILY, if you were JUST THAT DORKY. Also, I was eight. Which is more than five. And someone said "why are your socks wet?" and I looked up at the ceiling and said "uh, I think something's leaking." Something WAS leaking, but it wasn't the ceiling.

Your post had me tearing up *sniff sniff* What wonderful teacher/nurse. I am also so glad to read so many others having a similar experience! I have NEVER told anyone the whole and total truth to this story but perfect time to vent, right? Everyone else is anyway!!

I was in 4th grade--too old!!--and the terrible, terrible bubble gut when you know you've got to GO NOW crept up on me. Our teacher had just told us no one else could go to the bathroom and not toask b/c bathroom privledges had been being abused. I decided I would try to hold it. I was sweating and breathing hard, but I managing to hold it......then the bell rang. Thank god recess!! I had made it, I was home free!!! Straight to the bathroom where noone would be because everyone would be outside! It was VERY important for no one else to be in the potty. Phew, going into the bathroom I relaxed....just for a moment...and then came face to face with a girl and tensed up. OH NO... that was all it took. I scurried into the stall but it was too late, the shock and awe was already in my draws and jeans. I can remember EXACTLY the panties, jeans, and shirt I had on that day b/c I hated them all after that event. Why didn't I just go to the office, most people wouldn't know b/c they were outside. Oh no, I didn't want the teachers to know either so I did the very clever "pretend it didn't happen and don't stink" strategy. Of course it didn't take long for kids to bust me for "peeing my pants" (oh little did they know) I quickly lied and said I sat in a wet swing. But later on, I decided slipping in the grass was a better lie so told that to somebody else. OH no, I'd contradicted myself! That was my worst day in all my 8 yrs, thank you for lettting me finally get that out!!!

Me too me too me too!! Scared of what? It varies. But mostly it's about what others think of me, or that I'll be rejected, which I suppose is that same thing.

I had no idea where you were taking this, but I loved the ride almost as much as I loved the surprise of the ending.

Honestly, Y, this was wonderful and clever and lovely.

Oh.. I don't remember a story like this for me, but the one my husband told me still makes me sad. I don't know how old he was, but older than 5... he had a mean teacher that wouldn't let him go to the bathroom until he ended up peeing his pants. Then she called his mom and told her he did it on purpose just to be ornery >;( His mom was furious, and came to school and spanked him, and put him in one of his little brothers diapers for the rest of the day.

It wasn't until they were home that night that she finally listened to him. And she cried, and apologized, and quite possibly got the teacher fired, or he was transferred out of her class, one of the two.

oh my god. i peed too, but it was in THIRD grade. thank you very much.

peed in pants? check. only i was about ten years old and on a ski-trip. i hated the teacher (and was intimidated anyways because he totally made me feel what he though about overweight, not-so-sporty kids...) and we were way out in the (white) woods and i was afraid to ask because that would have meant the whole group waiting for me to leave a yellow stain in the snow between some trees. is was horrible. i felt horrible. my mom came to pick me up the next day...

thinking about it today, i just feel like kicking that teacher's ass. or the front. or pee on him...

also, it's so cool to read that the peeing-the-pants seems to be totally normal. okay, maybe i was a bit older than the rest but... he was a scary, intimidating ass.

I've been reading for awhile and thought it was time to "come out of the closet". It amazes me how much I wish you lived next door.

Events from childhood really can be defining moments. I wore leg braces from birth until age 8 when the brilliant doctors took them off because they weren't doing me any good. Anyway, after all those years of being told I couldn't do, well anything, by other adults and kids, never my siblings or parents, I adopted the famous I'll show you attitude.

It still works for the most part. That is until the fear creeps up and I think maybe all of those people were right after all.

Y, you are too adorable! The grown-ups were pretty awesome in that situation too because sometimes it feels better not to talk about our mistakes. Anyhow, you obviously survived it. Very cute story. It has really inspired me to think about my childhood and the awesome grown-ups in my life then.

Powerful entry!

Wow.

My turn to be at a loss for words.

That made me feel so bad for you as a little girl (similar experience here, too), and so thankful for the adult who didn't let on she knew, and I know exactly what you mean about being scared about life.

Once again you blow me away with your writing. Thank you for being so brave and so honest.

wow happened to me too almost! I was in 2nd grade and it was my first day in a new class. Ok going to brag quick.. we had just moved to this town from another city and I was put into my 2nd grade class but the teacher said I was too smart for her class and they put me in another one. Ok brag over.. because even being so smart at age 7 did nothing for me as an adult lol.

So anyhoooooo. I came in and the project happening was coloring dinosaur pictures (wow.. this was the advanced class? *eyeroll*). I got to it and had to pee. I didn't know how it worked in this class so I tried to hold it so bad. I finally put my hand up so the teacher would come to me so I could ask her but other kids had their hands up before me so she never got to me. I stupidly thought I could pee my pants and no one would notice.

Ahem... I must have peed a lot because I didn't just pee my pants but also my chair and the surrounding floor. I was so embarrassed but the teacher hurried me out and was so nice about it and sent me to the nurse where they have extra pants for just this reason. I remember returning to class and this girl, Beth had seen the whole thing but thank god.. didn't say anything.

I went home and washed the pants by myself to return them to school because I was so embarrassed I couldn't tell my mom (although she found out at parent teacher meeting lol).

I didn't see that girl after 2nd grade as she moved away but she came back when I was in 8th grade and yep, the only thing she remembered about me was how I peed in 2nd grade..

One day, I was telling a story I wrote in 1rd grade. I peed my pants, and also pooped my pants (It was very runny). I had a skirt on! The pee and poop spilled to the floor. Everone laughed and I was sent to the office where my mom would come with clean clothes. When I got to there I peed some more which got on that floor, too...