To See The World From The Eyes of a Child In Potty Training

Oh, what a perspective! The loo has never been (and probably will not be again in the future) so much fun! Rewards, dances, songs ... all for hitting the "target".

We've found success, and along the way, we've traveled down various paths:

• Cheerios: bad idea. They just upset my son because I threw them in the potty when they should in fact be eaten.
• Songs and Dances: work when he's in the mood, otherwise forget it.
• Stickers: Good, but then he starts negotiating for more. Really? A 2-year old in the process of mastering negotiations. I'm worried what I'll be giving up when it's time to get him to part with his blankie.
• The "potty bell" introduced by grandma: love the concept, but it only works at her house. works like a charm, though! Set the timer on the stove, When the bell goes off, time to visit the potty!
• Food Rewards: good, when he was hungry, otherwise out of obstinance he'd just refuse. OR, it would backfire, and he'd insist on going potty again and again and again so he could get more treats.
• The "I'm gonna get you" tactic: resistance going potty? No problem. I go first .. then he has to have his pee pee get my pee pee. This actually worked really well with my little warrior. He loved "knocking my pee pee down" with his pee pee. Got him nearly every time.
• Food Coloring (another brilliant grandma idea): variation on the "I'm gonna get you" tactic - squirt a bit of food coloring in the potty water and initiate target practice.

I'm sure I attempted other forms of blatant bribery and manipulation which I'm forgetting but it's all good! In the end, no one (especially mama) is emotionally scarred, and we have potty success!

In closure, my son, who is very happy with himself, announced that it's a boy's job to go pee pee and poo poo in the potty, and I agreed! When I asked him what a girl's job is, he announced "to wipe people's butts". And there you have it: The world from the eyes of a potty trained boy.

The Physical and Mental Workout in Potty Training

I am fully immersed in the trials and tribulations of potty training right now with my 2.5 year old. Boy, it is yet another adventure, I'm quite confident I'll embark on many more with him.

It's a mental workout trying to stay one step (or should I say potty-thought) ahead of him as I watch him like a hawk attempting to interpret his movements, breathing, leg positioning, etc ... to see if he might have to "go" and determine if I should ask him just that for what feels like the 50th time in the last hour and then swooping down if he doesn't give me the heads up to put him on the potty.

I think my son has a love-hate relationship with the chilly piece of porcelain. Occasionally, he'll shriek and sprint off the other direction: it's amazing how well he can move with his blue jeans around his ankles ... I seriously need to consider him as a teammate next time I'm in a three-legged race. Other times he loves going to the potty, and will hang out with, talk to, and observe every detail of the shiny handle and smooth white basin in front of him (he likes to sit backwards).

It's definitely not the same as StrollerFit class, but the bonus physical workout for me comes with him getting excited about "going" and then my need to check before removing him, offering a good bicep curl, and sometimes an added squat. This can be repeated up to 6 or 7 times per visit.

I do believe he's in the final phases of "training", as he's no longer wanting me in the room until he's "done". So when during one of my many walk-bys during a potty-break today, when I asked him what he was doing (he was really taking his time - the more power to him!), he told me "I'm just relaxing", I had to walk very, very fast out of ear shot, and just laugh.

I guess dad has helped out in this potty training after all!