The monumental day has finally arrived!!!! We have, at last, made a break through with Adam and the potty - and just shy of his fourth birthday (in one month)!
What made the difference you ask. Time and my incredible patience! I am serious, I think I deserve the Patient Mother of the Year Award (may as well give me the most humble mother award too...). A couple of years ago I prayed very fervantly for the opportunity to develop more patience - well I am here to tell you that the Lord does hear and answer prayers. He gave me Adam so that I might learn how to be patient!
Okay, so here is the quick story (or maybe not so quick). In short, nothing worked; well almost nothing. I tried EVERY trick in the book! People would suggest things and all I could do is politely nod my head all the time thinking about how I have tried that method and it failed miserably. Finally a couple months ago I decided to just forget about it and let him wear a diaper. Then two friends of mine finally gave me two suggestions that I really hadn't tried yet (this was in two seperate conversations). I decided I would combine them and see how it went. One friend, Wendy, suggested that when the diapers run out then don't buy anymore. My other friend, Malisa, suggested that you take yourself completely out of picture, tell him he is a big boy now and that he is wearing undies. If he has an accident he will have to clean it up and that you aren't going to remind him every hour to go potty. So I found a happy medium. Monday morning I told him we are out of diapers and he is a big boy now. We put undies on and I told him if he needed to go then he knew where that bathroom was (after all we have only gone over that part about a million times). He had accidents all day. I never made a big deal about it, I just told him to clean it up and get a clean pair of undies and pants. We did this again yesterday. We again had accidents all morning and even a poop accident while I was at Target (luckily it was pretty contained in the undies). He didn't like the feel of the poop in his undies, espcially since I wasn't in any hurry to leave the store - I know that is disgusting and the health department would kill me if they knew I didn't rush him to bathroom to clean it up - I was making a point though! When we got home there was one more accident and then something must have clicked. The rest of the day he would come running to me to go sit on the potty - even when he needed to poop! This morning he woke up with a dry Pull-Up and again was very excited to go potty. I am telling you, I think we are on a really great path and I am so THRILLED!!!!! I know that no one likes hearing potty stories, but for me this is the biggest news we have had in months and it changes my life!
Hooray for CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS!
11 comments:
I can SO relate to your experience. I went through it with Jack, and thought I would pull my hair out. I had always been a bit critical and judgemental of parents who talked about potty issues with their kids. How hard could it be to potty-train a child? Who's in charge, after all? After my experience, I developed a whole new level of understanding for other moms going through it. When it finally clicked for him, it was a huge deal, and I don't know that I ever have been more excited to flush that toilet!
It's potty party time!
A fun thing we did when my kids went a week dry, was have a potty party. It sounds sick, but it was fun. We'd have a cake, and call grandparents: it was a blast!
Congratulations!
Congratulations, Emily! That's fantastic. My sister-in-law did the same thing with my nephew and it worked with him too (just filing it in my "I'll need to know this someday" file). Way to go, Miss Patient 2008!!
You were very patient ... good job! (although Linzi was the same age Adam is now when she finally did it ... so I guess some of them are slower than others)
I wish Tessa would do it now. (She's only 3 and 2 months old ... )
You have officially earned that award!! Go you! And way to go Adam!!!
WOW Emily, what a nightmare. I am so so so glad it is working for you and him.Potty training is BY FAR the worst parenting job EVER.
Hooray for you and Adam!! Good job to you for stickin' with it. :)
Um, yeah, it takes a ton of patience to potty train. I must admit I was not so patient with mine. Way to go!
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you should make him a captain underpants cape! i know he would love it! good jo!
Great picture! You are brave and tough, taking him to Target without a proven track record in place first. :) Benjamin also held out until almost 4, but when HE finally decided to do it, it only took one day. Congratulations Adam (and Patient Mother of the Year)!
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