Potty Training

By far, the most frustrating task to date. I'm sure I have much more frustrating things to come in parenthood, but to date this has to be it.

They say girls are easier to train than boys. Everyone I know with a girl says it was easy. Took no time. Boys were harder. Well, not this girl. this girl has been in training for a year now. We introduced the potty to her at about 15 months. She seemed very interested in it. She wanted to sit on it all the time. I thought wow.... this is gonna be easy. wrong.

The first time she peed in it, honestly, she freaked out. I guess that feeling of lack of protection that a diaper gives freaked her out. But we cheered her on and danced liked idiots and she found some comfort in that... although reluctant to pee again. We backed off. Didn't want to push it as they say that making them do it when they aren't physcially and emotionally ready can set you back. Time came and she wanted to try the potty again. This time she did #2! Well that really freaked her out. She actually started crying this time. Junior was at work so I did the idiot dance by myself. Cheered her on, told her how proud I was, etc. She felt good about it. But anytime after that if asked whether or not she wanted to use the potty, she would always say no. So we backed off.

Time comes again and she's curious about the potty. She still seems a tad reluctant but interested at the same time. So I've also read that sometimes when the parent uses the toilet while they sit on their own potty, it helps. SO... I did that. I sat there... while she sat there. It was a while. But we sat. She says she's done and gets up to get a diaper or pull up. So she runs to her room to get it, i'm making my way there but not yet there. Then I hear crying. When I get there, she had an accident. A NUMBER TWO accident. yes. gross. At least it was solid. I know. but since then she's basically refused to to do #2 in the potty. We backed off again.

Time comes again and she's peeing in the potty. Even in school. Mainly in school, and sometimes at home. Here and there. But that also didn't last. At this point we tried just asking her randomly if she wanted to, but to no avail. She even stopped using it at school. even though all her other peers were training. We bought her lots of cute underwear and she liked wearing them, but still didn't want to use the potty. We tried going hard core. wear only underwear. That too did not work. She'd hold it in as long as she could until she had an accident with #1. And #2? She held it in for a day and a half. At that point, I was like screw it. That's not healthy. So we put a diaper back on and lemme tell you the next bowel movement she had after that almost came out the top of her diaper and the sides, it was so full. I know. Gross. But this is potty training I'm talking about.

We tried rewarding her, stickers and chart. Nothing. She didn't care. She didn't care that the kids in her class were now trained or almost trained. Peer pressure? What peer pressure. She doesn't care. I guess that's good though later in life. By now we're frustrated and she senses it. Bad. I know. So she's refused. And We just give up. Well back off... with a new tactic.

We left the chart and stickers out. But we never again mention it. We don't even ask. One day recently she comes up to me out of no where and says, "I need to use the potty." "ok, go ahead. Let me know when you're done." I basically tell her like it's no big deal. Like I don't care if she does or doesn't. And she used it! I was so excited! We did the whole idiot dance, stickers and reward. A few times after that she tried but did nothing. But she got stickers for trying anyway. Smaller stickers for trying and big stickers for actually doing it. We went to the store when she did use the potty and got her little rewards we call prizes.

This week, she has been consistent in peeing in the potty. She's actually found it as a way to stall during bedtime. She'll be laying in bed, lights off and 10 mins into laying there she'll cry and say she needs to use the potty. I know it's a stall tactic, but I can deny her that if she really needs to use it. So I let her, and she really peed! She's done that every night this week and also has used it twice at school. Today I got off work early and picked her up early too. It's 6:36pm and she has peed 6 times in the potty today! I KNOW! Twice at school and 4 more times since then.

So, I'm positive that this will be it this time. no more set backs. She has yet to do #2 but that's ok. If she feels she has to master #1 first I'm all for that. I've known that she knew how to use the potty, when etc. She could hold it if she needed to. I think she just didn't want to. almost like she was too smart ofr her own good. And now she feels like it so she's just doing it. On her own. so my hope is that this is the last try and MAYBE, just maybe it'll go by fast since she knows how and it's just matter of her doing it.