The color of your urine

At some point in my twenties, I learned that my urine should always be really light yellow - never dark. I vividly remember reading that but can't recall where. For some reason, out of all the health advise I've collected (and forgotten) over the years, that piece has stayed with me: If the color is too dark, you need to drink more water.

I keep a reusable water bottle at my desk which I fill every morning. And my water drinking routine begins: Open emails (take a sip), go to a meeting (sip, sip, sip), come back from the bathroom (sip)...until all the water is gone.

I was happy to learn that after all these years, this one guideline still holds true about water consumption.

Now I have to figure out how to teach my son to check his pee color.

Let me explain: I have noticed during the summer months that as he plays outside, he doesn't always realize that he is hot and thirsty. (He's distracted by all that fun, I guess.) So, he needs a signal to see that his body needs more water.

Since he is six, this may be a good time to introduce the concept of checking urine color: Body functions are still fascinating to him, and since I finally see him closing the bathroom door more often than not, I want to have him continue his journey of complete bathroom independence.

But then again, teaching your child to check their pee color may be too weird.

I'm open to suggestions, though: How do you help your child realize they need to drink more water when you aren't with them for the majority of their day? Tell me in the comments.