I have deemed July (insert booming voice) The Month of the Potty. Oh yeah, I'm sure you all want to come and visit me now! Winter3 is almost 3 1/2 and starting preschool in September. We're at the point where potty training isn't just a nifty idea...it's a must. I'll be honest and say that I haaaaaattttteeeee potty training. I know, who likes it? It's one of those tasks that didn't seem so horrible before we had kids. That was before we knew anything.
My job is complicated by two things...the fact that I have boys and the fact that my children are stubborn and hard headed. Many (not all) of the little girls I know are horrified at the thought of sitting in their own excrement. Boys, not so much. It's next to impossible to convince a little boy to leave his favorite car/truck/train/book/tv show for a trip to the bathroom. You can see the wheels turning...why on earth would I want to do that? I have a perfectly good diaper/pullup/pair of underwear for that. I don't think boys are ever truly convinced it's a necessary interruption. In fact, I'm willing to bet that many men I know hate the fact that they have pull themselves away from the tv to use the bathroom.
Porcelain god takes on a whole new meaning as a parent in the midst of potty training and I have done things I never imagined: cheered for dry underwear; cajoled and bribed for trips to the potty; cheered for pee in potty; tried to convince Winter3 that being a "big boy" is a good thing (he doesn't believe me); told all my friends about trips to the potty; danced a potty dance; told Winter3 all the people he knows who use the potty "Hey, did you know that Elmo uses the potty?/Let's go play with [insert name here]. I know he uses the potty. /Daddy's home! I bet he used the potty at work." The damn potty takes over life and it's exhausting.
During The Month of the Potty, Winter3 has been doing pretty well. When we're home, I keep him in thick cloth training pants. I've promised that as soon as he uses the potty all the time, he can start wearing his "fancy underwear" (or "under-whare" as he says). Fancy under-whare has fantastic designs like Wonder Pets, Bob the Builder, Mickey Mouse, Go Diego Go and Spiderman...basically everything I could find in an attempt to make Winter3 think the potty is cool. Until then, I'll put on my big girl underwear and my happy face and continue to cheer, cajole, bribe, and dance around my porcelain god.
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