Once upon a time, there was a boy child who so loved his mommy that he set out to make her life (or at least trips trips to the loo) just a wee bit more comfortable. After being reminded a mere "thousand times over the years" to gently place the toilet seat down to suit the sitters in the house, the boy child finally began to think of ways to focus his Talented & Gifted mind on the matter at (ahem) hand. Rather than memorize the steps - raise lid, go, replace lid, wash, flush, leave -- or even createa clever anagram to remember when and at what point to girlify the seat, the boy set out to inventing.
That's right, the boy inventor I am speaking of, children, is in fact Jacob Wulf, the 9-year old Iowan who has since been glorified on Ellen and in publications across the land. And to think, it is all because he came up with a special pedal to raise and lower the eluding (but eventually auspicious) lid. Jacob spied the foot lever on the trashcan in his doctor's office and the toilet troubles came to mind. Later, with the giudance of his equipment designer dad, he developed the idea into an accessory to raise and lower the lid simply by stepping on a pedal. A school contest entry and state fair display followed, and soon the press also stepped in.
Although the Privy Prop's patent is on pause and mass-marketing is not a possibility at this time ("because Mom said"), the happily ever after comes in the lesson learned: By taking a stand and putting one's best foot foward, a world of potty-goers can be impressed, and a household (not to mention one proud mother) can live contendedly together, one powder room and pedal step at a time.
