Ugh. Potty training. It's called that for a reason, right? Because I'm supposed to train her, right? We started with m&ms but I thought better of it when she started getting upwards to twenty m&ms a day. Then we had the sticker chart with really cool stickers but she got over that. Then I tried putting portable potties in her favorite hangouts but then realized I was just teaching Nealie that it was cool to go where you are rather than in the bathroom. My friend even recommended "punishment" so I washed off her bottom with really cold water after one of the bad accidents and Nealie just looked up at me and said, "Thanks for cleaning off my bottom, Mommy." I moved on to bribery: I told her Preschools and Ballet Class only take kids that are potty-trained. I used guilt trips. Manipulation. I called countless mommy friends.
Guess what? Nealie prefers diapers. I. WAS. PISSED. I can't tell you why it's so important to me. Maybe because I was afraid that I'd have the only 3 year old that wasn't potty trained. I am often told how advanced Nealie is in so many ways and I couldn't understand why she couldn't excel at this subject.
Then I got that always accessible, not-so-pleasant dose of acceptance. The vehicle for this unwanted realization? That damn aunt that lives next door. "Who's it hurting that she's not potty trained? Who does it bother: her or YOU?" Damn, damn, damn. So I've decided to drop the issue. Well, MY issue.
This morning I told Nealie we needed to change her diaper and she looked at me very suspiciously, like she was prepared to put up a fight about potty training today. I said, "Run to your room and get a new diaper," and she was on it. She very willingly allowed me to change her and has been happily wearing diapers all day, including a very snazzy swim diaper while we were at America the Beautiful Park and Fountain (a.k.a. Best Park ever, courtesy of Nealie's cousins, Anam and Oran). I think our summer will be a lot more fun if we just spend it enjoying each other and not battling for control.
Next on our to-do list is getting out our birthday invites. I can't believe my baby's almost 3!!!
1 comments:
I think the "Mom gives up" phase is an actual phase in potty training. I did it too. What my ped told me is that the kids usually test to make sure they CAN use the potty and then they wait a while until they WANT to use the potty. Hope your easy going attitude is rewarded.
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