DEAR ABBY: I am a 65-year-old grandmother who had a colostomy a little over a year ago. It wasn't due to cancer or a life-threatening illness. It was due to lack of muscle control because of having children.
I care for my grandchildren two or three times a week, a 2-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl. How do I explain this to a 4-year-old? I don't want to scare her. From the time she was able to walk she came into the bathroom with me, and now she's curious about why she can't anymore. Is there a way you can explain this to a child? Thanks for any advice you can give. -- GRANDMA IN BRISTOL, CONN.
DEAR GRANDMA: That you had a colostomy because of incontinence due to childbirth is too much information for a child your granddaughter's age. Simply tell her that she's not a baby anymore, and you would prefer privacy in the bathroom. Most adults do, and it should not require a detailed explanation.
However, if your granddaughter should happen to enter the bathroom unexpectedly and ask specific questions about what she has seen, a brief explanation that you are all right and that you just go to the bathroom a little differently than she does should suffice. As she gets older, appropriate information can be provided on a "need-to-know" basis.