This Teacher's Smart Hack Helps Kids Learn How To Wipe Their Butts (You're Welcome)

Potty training a child can feel like an insurmountable hurdle when you're knee-deep in wet undies, aversions to pooping anywhere but in a diaper, and general toddler resistance at every turn. So when your little one finally starts peeing and pooping in the potty on a regular basis, helping them wipe doesn't seem like such a big deal. It eventually becomes a habit. And well, before you know it, your kid is starting preschool and is still pretty bad at it. Which is why this teacher's hack for teaching kids how to wipe is pure genius.

It isn't clear where the viral video originated, but a clip of a teacher overseas demonstrating the proper way to wipe has managed to go viral, according to Parents. And it isn't hard to see why. The video features a teacher sitting on a chair that has two balloons attached to the back of it. Facing away from students — who are also sitting on chairs with balloons — she demonstrates how to correctly wipe in between her balloon butt cheeks from front to back. Meanwhile, the students look on, completely enthralled.

It's a simple concept, really. Sitting kids down and showing them, step-by-step, how to effectively wipe their bottoms. Still, the video seems to be blowing the minds of Americans across the nation. Because as far as most schools are concerned, this type of skill labs simply doesn't exist. "We don’t teach essential skills in American schools," one Twitter user wrote alongside the video.

Over on Twitter, people are going wild over the clip, with some lauding it as genius and others proclaiming this sort of thing should be the exclusive responsibility of parents. One Twitter user commented, "This is good but parents should also be teaching their kids this while they’re potty training!!!!"

Thankfully, someone else pointed out the obvious, writing, "A lot of people are commenting stating this should be taught at home....y'all know damn well little kids BARELY EVER wipe correctly...add on that they probably listen to their teacher more than they listen to their parent(s), this is a great idea."

Yet another Twitter user lauded the video, writing, "I love this woman! She has her students intensely watching. So cool. #Goodteachers Priceless!"

In addition to making sure kids are clean and comfortable, having a correct wiping technique is particularly important when diapering baby girls or potty-training toddler girls. “The female anatomy is created to keep infections out but there are a lot of germs that can come with the stool,” Dr. Tanya Altmann, a pediatrician at Calabasas Pediatricians and author of the American Academy of Pediatrics' book Caring For Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5, told Fatherly. “So whenever you’re cleaning your daughter, wipe front to back and in to out to keep away any sort of potential irritation or infection.”

Look, I'm not saying all preschool and kindergarten teachers should be taping balloons to chairs and giving a step-by-step demonstration on butt-wiping. But from experience, plenty of kids listen better for teachers than they do their parents. A refresher course certainly doesn't hurt, either. And kids love balloons, after all. So although Butt-Wiping 101 isn't an course here in the U.S., the way I look at it is this: don't knock it until you try it.

Experts: Tanya Altmann, Pediatrician at Calabasas Pediatricians.