“Where’s The Girl With The List?”: Mom Finds Son Asleep With Poop In His Hands

A motherfrom St. Louis, Missouri, was shocked to find hertoddlerfast asleep on the floor,holding his poopin his hands.

Jordan Scarfino smelled something foul in the house but couldn’t tell where it was coming from. After going upstairs, she discovered her two-year-old son, Giovanni, without a diaper.

It took her ten minutes to locate the source of the unpleasant smell. Immediately, she video-called her mom to ask for help.

HighlightsA mom discovered her two-year-old boy napping on the floor with poop in his hands.Jordan’s son, Gio, has been potty training since he was 1 year old.The mom recalled her own toddler poop antics, suggesting that she’s now experiencing “karma.”

A mom found her two-year-old son asleep with his poop in his hands

“Where’s The Girl With The List?”: Mom Finds Son Asleep With Poop In His Hands

Image credits:Jordan Wolf

“Where’s The Girl With The List?”: Mom Finds Son Asleep With Poop In His Hands

Her mom didn’t panic. Instead, she found the situation hilarious and suggested Jordan document the moment.

“I don’t know if I’m laughing or crying 😭#sendhelp,” Jordan captioned the TikTok video, which was posted last Friday (January 3).

If you’re eating, you might want to skip what’s next, as she strictly followed her mother’s advice and recorded everything.

The mom noted a foul smell but didn’t know where it was coming from

“Where’s The Girl With The List?”: Mom Finds Son Asleep With Poop In His Hands

“He’s been potty training since he was 1,” Jordan toldPeople. “He wears diapers overnight, and we try undies during the day.

“He still sometimes throws fits when it’s time to go on the potty. I think it’s an attachment thing, but I’m not sure!”

“Where’s the girl with the list???😭” one user jokingly asked, referencing theAustralian model who listed over 100 reasonsnot to have children.

“Nothing could have prepared me for that moment,” another admitted.

“If you didn’t record it, no one would have believed you 😭😂,” a separate user said.

Onemomwrote: “As a mom of 5 boys, I thought I’ve seen it all. Apparently not.”

“He took matters into his own hands,” someone else quipped.

As disgusting it may seem to adults, it’s actually natural for young children to be curious about their own feces, explainsRebecca Parlakian, director of programs at Zero to Three, a Washington, DC-based center that is devoted to the well-being of infants and toddlers.

“It comes from your own body, it’s warm and it has a distinct texture and smell. There’s a lot for children to be interested in, and for children who don’t have a medical or developmental reason for their scatolia [fecal smearing], exploring poop is probably just a reflection of their natural curiosity and interest in cause-and-effect,” she toldBored Panda.

Children’s perception of poop usually changes as they begin to actively engage in toilet learning, Parlakian adds.

Her son, Giovanni, had taken off his diapers and fallen asleep on the floor

“Where’s The Girl With The List?”: Mom Finds Son Asleep With Poop In His Hands

The child development expert suggests different strategies for parents to manage these situations and teach their children positive hygiene habits.

“Say in a serious voice, ‘Uh-oh! Touching poop is not okay. Poop is dirty. Now we have to wash it off and change your clothes.’

“You can also build in natural consequences: ‘Oh dear, there is poop on your teddy! Poop is dirty. Now Teddy has to go in the wash. You can play with him again when he is clean tomorrow.'”

According topsychoanalytic theory, children do not innately experience feelings of disgust and may even view their feces as something that is “part of them,” potentially developing an attachment to it.

“Where’s The Girl With The List?”: Mom Finds Son Asleep With Poop In His Hands

When Gio woke up, he asked where his poop had gone. Jordan laid him back in bed, put him in a diaper, and he went back to sleep.

In afollow-up video, Jordan asked her toddler why he liked snuggling his poop. “I don’t know!” the cheeky 2-year-old said, laughing.

“When you’re older, you’re gonna think it’s funny or mean?” asked the28-year-old mom, who also has a girl, referring to the viral video. “Funny!” Gio responded.

As it turns out, the poop obsession may run in the family, Jordan said. “When I was 2, my mom had to deal with me painting with poopy diapers every day,” she toldPeople.

“She eventually had to put my crib in the middle of the room so I’d stop painting the walls. I can’t even imagine what she went through! She says it’s karma.”

Gio seems to be just as determined as she was when she was achild. “I learned from this experience that no matter what precautions you take, toddlers will do what they want to do.

“Gio has been able to take his onesies off and climb out of his crib since before he turned 1 year old. There’s no stopping him!”

“Where’s The Girl With The List?”: Mom Finds Son Asleep With Poop In His Hands

After the incident, Jordanfound a peculiar invitationher parents had sent in 1999 for a Super Bowl party at their house. The card featured a picture of a young girl standing in her crib, covered in poop.

“Come get sht-faced,” the invitation read, adding, “Bring your own beer…we’ll have shtty beer.”

“My parents had a freaking fantastic sense of humor,” she said, then wondered: “Is it atoddlerthing? Does he get it from me?”

“I used to make my mom cry every day when I was two—because that was a daily thing for me.”