What the Past Week Has Taught Me About Toddlers and Potties

My son will be 3 in about a month and I was determined to at least have him trying to use the potty by then. We have been working on this for a while now, on and off. He clearly wasn't ready until last week as that most recent attempt has been very successful. But I have learned a few things along the way. So now that I am an expert in teaching my own son to use a toilet, here is my newly acquired knoweldge:

1. Children, especially headstrong and stubborn children, will not even attempt something new until they want to. I knew my son was physically able to use the potty, knew he knew the process (he would recite the order of sit on potty, wipe, pull up pants, flush, and wash hands), and that he was starting to get annoyed by diaper changes. But he would not do it until he wanted to. I don't know which of the million things I told him about how great it is to be a big kid out of diapers finally got through to him, but something did. Or none of the things I said helped and he just figured it out on his own.

2. It is best not to start this potty business during a major house project like building a sidewalk in the back yard. As if keeping a curious toddler out of concrete isnt hard enough, let's add watching for him to pee his pants. Plus, my son wanted to watch the whole sidewalk-buidling process and wouldn't come in to use the potty. So I had to bring it outside for him to use in the back of his grandpa's truck. Future house projects will be completed around all future potty teaching schedule(s).

3. Teaching a child how to understand and control this crazy body process of eliminating waste requires patience. Patience and PMS are mutually exclusive in my house. I don't think I would have changed the timing of the diaper removal had I realized where I was in my cycle, but knowing I am angsty from PMS helps me de-angst when I need to. Poor guy wouldn't have had such an earful when he pooped in his unders had I been checking my own emotions. (For the record, I apologized, but I do think it lit a fire under him to try to go in the potty.)

4. Watching him constantly and waiting for the potty dance so I can help him recognize his body signals is exhausting. The whole family sleeps all night for the most part, but this past week has left me more exhausted than when I was getting up every few hours with my daughter. And I had horrible dreams for five nights in a row where I was responsible for making sure someone in my dream made it to a toilet on time. So much stress!

Although it probably wasn't the best week to put the diapers away, I am so glad we are where we are on the road to elimination independence. And I think if I had postponed it, I might have missed the little window where he was super receptive and more life would have happened that we would have needed to work around anyway. Silly life, always interfering with my perfect plans!