I consider the bathroom a small torture chamber - a place I want to get in and out as quickly as possible. After years of “toilet training,” puking, and bath after bath after bath, I prefer the other side of the bathroom door. Yesterday, my daughter dutifully washed her hands after using the servicio but left the door ajar, just a “titch.” Most homes in Costa Rica have loads of bathrooms. They’re easy to install during construction since no ventilation piping is needed. For example, my little condo has five bathrooms. All of them have a shower, except one. One has a shower and bathtub. The bathroom Coco uses frequently is the guest bathroom on the main floor.

I walked by and - as they say in Spanish - oooffffa! It’s amazing how grown up kids can be about some things. For a seven year old, she can pack a might punch when it comes to the delicate subject of elimination.

Man girl! I said as I waved the all natural air cleaner through the air, pumping the liquid wildly toward the ceiling.

Mommy you smell too! she said.

Are you kidding? I emit only the smell of fresh spring roses, I said.

Really? she said. No you don’t. Really?

Next she’ll discover they took gullible out of the dictionary.