Potty training can be a nightmare. With my son, it has been a 2 year process. It is also an area where he expresses stress . . . notably by regressing. We've had a lot of regression lately.
When Ranita started potty training, I thought it would be a breeze. He was eager, interested, successful. We bought him his own seat and made a big deal about everything. I read books on the potty. We watched "Elmo's Potty Time" more times than I care to count. We were on our way.
Then one day he quit. Cajoling, bribing, arguing, begging . . . nothing worked. The kid refused to use the toilet . . . any toilet . . . for a YEAR.
My pediatrician finally told me it was time, so I followed my sister's advice and tried the 3-day potty training technique. It's pretty simple. You clear 3 consecutive days in your schedule, put the kid in "big kid underpants," and clean up urine and feces for 2 1/2 days. By day three, the child is trained.
It worked. Mostly. Aside from aforementioned regressions.
Enter Chinchita. This one is a whole different ball game, and I could not be happier! (As regards potty training ONLY! They are both fabulous in their own ways, and I wouldn't change their uniqueness for anything!)
My daughter, you see, potty trained herself. Really. She had watched Ranita's potty escapades and, like the go-getter she is, refused to be left behind. She used the potty when she--or more rarely, I!--thought of it.
I was not thinking about it much. I frankly have had too much on my plate over the past 10 months to concern myself over my 2-year-old's potty habits. My son had taught me not to rush things . . . they all potty train in their own time.
Her time has come.
One day she refused to wear anything but big girl pants. We have had accidents: in the church nursery, at auntie's house, at the Sunday School teacher's house. But dealing with the embarrassment of an accident was less of a hassle than trying to get her into a Pull-up, so deal we did.
It seems like a surprisingly short period of time--2 weeks, maybe?-- but perhaps it's been longer. I've been noticing this week that her accident-free days are becoming more frequent . . . and require less attention on my part. It wasn't until this morning that I knew I could declare her potty-trained.
The three of us were working in the yard moving plants around. (I'll write more about that another day!) The kids were wandering from me to the sandbox and back again. Suddenly she came running up: "I just peed on the potty!"
"You just peed?" I replied. "Did you have an accident?"
"No! I peed on the potty."
"What?"
Oh yeah. Six days shy of 3, the child stops playing, goes into the house, uses the bathroom, and comes back out to inform me. All in about 4 minutes.
THAT, my friends, is potty training success! Glorious day!!
This is great. Nothing off limits in life's discussions. :) I remember instructing my daughters on which direction to wipe, and watching them devolve into consternation--its not easy to remember that coordinated movements take time, and they often were less patient with the process than I was. Children have a natural propensity to emulate us, and frequently need to be reassured that learning takes time and repitition.
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