Potty Training, Part Deux

Several months ago, we began the bizarre and weirdly emotional process of potty training our son. We bought pull-ups, we collected whimsical potty books, we got detailed instructions and excel spreadsheets from our ABA team (for data collection) and a plastic bucket (for...). We loaded up on fun DVDs he can watch during potty sessions. He learned the steps quickly: he loved sitting on the potty, loved flushing, loved the ritual of washing and drying his hands, even loved his potty seat, proudly carrying it around the house, but...no luck.

Fast-forward a few months (okay, several months) and we are being politely but firmly encouraged to try this again. Again we have the spreadsheets, the paraphernalia, and on Saturday I went to buy my boy his very first set of big kid underpants. And I have to tell you, I felt a little emotional standing there at the display. Do I get colors? White? Dinosaurs? Superman? (In the interest of protecting whatever shred of privacy is left at this point, I leave that to your imagination, dear reader.)

During his bath that night, he played with a green plastic dolphin, filling it with water and letting the water run out into the tub. Then he looked up at me and said: "The dolphin has to go pee-pee," and emptied it into the tub again, giggling. Yesterday, Jesse came home to a whole potty convention in our house, including one ABA tutor, one case manager, our nanny and, of course, the life of the party himself, who was looking a little grumpy by this point. Then this morning, as soon as he woke up, he demanded to sit on the potty again, where he ate a banana, drank a glass of milk, and happily watched an episode and a half of Harold and the Purple Crayon (delaying my shower and causing a Very Bad Hair Day). And I suddenly realized: the bathroom has become his new office. And I can't help but wonder: how did we do this stuff before there were specialists, and Microsoft Excel, and DVDs and cheese crackers and--honestly--does it really take a village to potty train a child?

Comments

[kristen]

Susan,
I love this post. And it reminded me of our potty training escapades. The good news: he'll get the hang of it. The bad news: he gets to decide when.

Our son, after what seemed like a lifetime of trying -- some success, lots of failure -- simply woke up one June morning, asked for the Bob the Builder underpants and never pulled on a pull up again. Well, except for at night. But that's another story...

[jennifergg]

I love it! The new office! My boys, too, sit around on their potties and direct the world (me) all the while seeming very uninterested in actually DOING ANY BUSINESS. I'm beginning to think that yes, it does take a village, and maybe I need some more villagers to help out...

[Jessica Leah]

The thing is, you just can't let them sit around and wait. That is counter productive. If they aren't going right away, take them off and try again later...