potty training, my worst enemy

There is nothing I despise more about my job as a parent than potty training. Maybe it was because it took my first born from the time she turned twenty months to the time she nearly turned three to be trained. Maybe it was all those hours of sitting my pregnant self on the little white step stool in the bathroom, reading her a book while waiting for her to poop or pee only to have her pee all over the couch minutes after she exited the bathroom. Too many messes on the floor, too many trips to public bathrooms. So I'm not overly aggressive with Allie right now. Hey, if she doesn't want to, then fine. No need pushing her. My experience is that she'll just push back. If you ask her if she wants to wear panties she replies that she's "little" or a "little girl" and that she just can't. She's already making excuses.

BUT, she has successfully completed the baby program at swim and needs to be potty trained before advancing to lane 1, where no parent gets in and they meet during the day and not at night. Oh, to not have swim lessons at night anymore would be marvelous. It really breaks up our thursday nights. And now, in the baby class, she's bored.

AND she is signed up for preschool in the fall. And that's a no brainer.

SO, I'm a little more motivated to try and push her a little.

Friday we went to Babies R Us, got a brand new potty seat that she picked out and I even promised her a sucker if she went potty on the potty, even though I'm not a believer in bribing them with candy.

Saturday we tried it again. Jeremy was here to help, and that always helps my sanity.This is our second attempt, although the first one was very short lived as I don't think she remotely had a clue on what she was supposed to do. That was a few months ago. I think she went potty six times today before we put her diaper on for bed. Three of those were accidents that landed on our couch or the floor. Our poor carpet. But three of those times she used the potty! Lots of congratulations, lots of hugs, lots of "good work Allie's" to go around.

Today, she wakes up and decides she doesn't want to wear panties, but diapers. She's afraid she'll potty on the floor. Because it was Sunday we put a diaper on her for church. Hopefully, I can get her to try again soon. I know she can do it. The times she did go on her own today weren't times when we asked if she had to go.

For me, potty training is the best form of birth control there is. Period.




Sarah