Monday, June 8, 2009

May the Force be with you


This is a tale about Potty training. If you are not interested, please feel free to visit some of the other awesome blogs you normally read and know that, in a couple of days, I'll eventually post about something else.

In the meantime...

I may have mentioned this before, but we are working on potty training with Miss O. She has a chart, she tells everyone she meets that she's going to have a Potty Party (though often they have NO CLUE what she's saying, her little happy voice is so high pitched), and she has been known to take herself into the bathroom to wee on the pot. We are very proud of her. Of course, she has yet to poop on the toilet, but we are hopeful. And she knows. She's told me a few times when she needs to pee. So we'll go. She'll get an M&M and a sticker. It's a very happy time, needless to say, when it happens.

Alas.

A few days ago, she decided to take a break from all sorts of potty training efforts.

How frustrating is that? Well, let me just say, frustrating.

I've been trying to guide her in the right direction because, as anyone knows who's done this before (and that would be me and Super J...twice. Not us being potty trained, twice, but teaching it, twice. You understand, right? Anyway.), you cannot force your toddler to do their business. At all. It won't work and it will, if you aren't careful, help them to avoid said training long enough to cause you to have anxiety palpitations that your child will be the only Kindergartner still in pull-ups for no good reason beyond stubbornness...right Miss E?

Happily, I know this is a phase. Frustrating, but a phase.

So, I hopped on the helpful Internet and re-read all the hints about potty training, especially helping the toddlers move those bowels in the toilet. I've tried my patented, "But the poop is soooooo happy when you put it in the toilet." And Super J took it a step further in saying, "You like to go swimming? Guess what your pee and poop like to do? Guess where their pool is?" To which, Miss O enthusiastically answers, "The TOILET!" Yay! She knows...she just doesn't know...or care.

Anyway, I bring all this up because Miss O came to me today after having stuck her fingers down her pants after doing her business. Ohdearheavens. We just don't do that here at the Zoo, because I tend to become a shrieking mess of hysteria. Luckily, I was Skyping my brother and so, had an immediate outlet and didn't freak out completely (only on the inside, Gentle Reader. Only on the inside). I went to change her and we then went and flushed the poo down the toilet, saying good-bye and wishing it well and wishing Miss O had just done her business there in the first place.

I am reminded that this potty training business cannot happen soon enough.

So, once again, any helpful suggestions for getting your kid ON the toilet after a brief stint of NOT wanting to use it, or any aid with the poo efforts, would be greatly appreciated.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Unfortunately, no particularly helpful suggestions. Just some serious commiseration. Good luck.

KC Knicks said...

Oh dear! The only think I can suggest is prayer!!

Adrienne said...

Well, it was a bold (and stupid yet effective) move on our part, but we forced our man to go commando. As in he was wearing No-THING on his lower region for an entire day. Literally no safety net. Granted, it is a little bit like having a dog if there's an accident, but it was mighty effective. But you are seriously SO good at this mom thing, I have no doubt Miss O will stride into kindergarten boldly girt in big girl undies. :)