Potty Training Update

I don’t want to go into all the dirty details here, so I will be brief.

{ha, a pun!}

Yesterday was day one of potty training. Carl was at work so it was left up to me to get the job done, or at least start the process. We had decided to follow the 3-Day Potty Training Method, and I was certain that it would be a perfect fit for Benjamin.

I ended up breaking down a few times within the first five hours.

If you haven’t tackled all-or-nothing potty training {I mean, potty training with a purpose, not just on a whim}, you might not understand why I had my breakdowns. But I do know there are those of you who do understand. It’s exhausting, discouraging, frustrating, and boy does it try your patience.

After his nap we had better success, not perfect but better. I went to bed feeling pretty good about it, thinking that today would be so much better after we all were sort of familiar with it all.

Wrong. Wrong. wrong wrong wrong.

This morning was worse, it seemed. Carl and I both were getting pretty discouraged and we questioned whether or not he is really ready for the potty. However, we pressed on. Before lunch, it got better.

What have we learned? Methods aren’t always the answer. Sometimes you have to deviate from the ‘path’ to find what fits for you. I felt very discouraged because I was doing what the method said and I felt like we were getting nowhere. Maybe I didn’t give that method enough time, I don’t know, but we have found a different way that seems to work so far for us.

It is all a learning process. For the kiddos and for the parents. It’s a good time to pray for patience because you’re going to need it. It’s a good time to exercise that patience and self control and kindness and compassion and understanding toward your child who is learning more about his body and the various functions, wanting so bad to please but sometimes just not understanding or getting there fast enough.

A quick thank you to a few friends, Lisa, Rebecca, and Amber, for their advice and understanding and empathy, support and encouragement! There are others, too, who have offered consolation when I thought I was losing my mind, and I am really grateful for that! Where would we be without each other?

A bigger thank you goes out to Carl who has been patient with my short fuse the last couple of days and who has been running to Wal-mart for me when I needed a few things. I am so blessed with a loving, kind, and understanding husband!

Anyway, Benjamin should wake any minute … and then we are back at it again!