Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Two And A Half Out Of Four's Not Bad

Jim had scheduled this week off work a month ago. It was slated as the great Get All Those Pesky Monkeys Off Our Back week: potty training, finishing of the den (progress had been put to an agreed-upon halt during soccer season and the holidays,) figuring out of our old/new insurance and medical crapola (because I am crippled with panic about such things and require another adult around as moral support,) and the sorting of all of the soccer jerseys, warm-ups, balls and duffel bags that had been stashed around our house and garage from last year's season.

So far the soccer sorting is practically done: the enormous piles of clothes and bags and balls and are neatly organized and stacked into Rubbermaid tubs in the garage, and all the phone calls nagging the girls to turn in the rest of their stuff have been made. Also, a huge stack of bills has been paid and a worrying insurance claim has been figured out.

The den is going to get there, too, I'm thinking. It's all cleared out of any removable furniture and toys now, leaving only the TV, giant computer desk, and one pretty hefty loveseat. The rest of our house overfloweth a bit with toys and tables right now, but I can live with that when the promise of fresh paint and pictures being hung is glowing on the horizon. Today: spackling and sanding. Tomorrow: the sky's the limit.

But the potty training... Ah, the potty training. This will be day three of Mission: Underpants, and so far we've had only two successes, one of which happened at the gym childcare center, of all places. They don't even have a potty chair, just a regular old toilet, which she refuses to touch at home, and yet she willingly sat and peed on it for Miss Ashley! This solidifies my belief that she could, in fact, physically control herself if she HAD to, but she's just kind of too lazy to care when she's at home and isn't going to be embarrassed about wet pants.

So yeah, for going on three days now, she has cheerfully been wetting her pants and running to tell us about it, despite sitting on the potty at half hour intervals all day long. Fortunately she is okay with wearing rubber pants over the panties, otherwise our house would now be thoroughly saturated with urine, but even as it is I have done countless loads of soaking and washing and drying of said underwear and rubber pants. And in spite of my beliefs that potty training should be natural and child-led and not motivated by guilt or fear of accidents, I have to admit that our patience is wearing mightily thin. There has been much lecturing and nagging and reminders about being a big girl now, then feelings of guilt about the nagging, and subsequent hugging, praising, begging, purchasing of bribery items and offers of dance classes and Dora the Explorer games and leftover candy canes if Addy will just PEE PEE ON THE POTTY FOR THE LOVE OF MOMMY'S SANITY!

7 comments:

Jess said...

Kids always behave better for their teachers than for their parents. Perhaps Miss Ashley should finish what she started.

d e v a n said...

Ugh! Seriously, potty training sucks so bad. SO BAD.
d was nearly 3 when he potty trained and even to this day has accidents of laziness and needs bribing, cajoling and sometimes, er, threatening. Urgh.

Momma Mary said...

Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes. Potty training. it sucks. I wish you had written this yesterday, I'd have linked to you. We're trying to potty train -- only because the Little Monster takes his pants and diapers off ALL. THE. TIME. And, I'm tired of cleaning poop off of my furniture. And duct taping the diaper shut just seems wrong.

Astarte said...

Potty training is so obnoxious. Other people expect you to have done it, but then in the next breath tell you that they'll do it when they're ready. So... does that mean that there's some magical readiness pill that no one told me about? Because otherwise, those two statements seem to cancel themselves out.

Have you tried not reacting at all? If she comes to you wet, just wrinkle your nose, say, 'gross', and change her with as little interaction as possible. When we were having issues with Josie, I realized she was doing it purely to see what I would do or offer up next, like it was totally fun and amusing for her, and also got me to pay lots of attention to her, dropping whatever else I was doing. Also, does she have any friends who are using the potty regularly, preferably who are also a little older, that she would idolize somewhat? Group mentality, dude. All kids pee in prek, and that's why - group trips, peer pressure, and a teacher that they don't feel like they can screw with.

Anonymous said...

How about a 6 year that would prefer to poop in his pants than go to the bathroom?

How about finding poop on your carpets because it fell out of his pants? My husband started to blame the cats until I told him that there was no way in h*ll that the cats would go potty in the middle of the house with the kids running around. Then he started to look to the kids.... and lo and behold... stepson had pooped in his pants.

*sigh* At 6? You would have thought he was beyond that. And apparently this is no longer an occasional thing. It is happening all the time.

Sarah said...

Billie: Yeah, that is crazy. Maybe there's an actual, physical issue there? I read in my potty training book that some kids get so stressed that, even into kindergarten age, they'll hold in bowel movements until they are kind of forced to go wherever they are. I don't know, just a thought. Is there something that's upsetting him?

Swistle said...

I KNOW!! And it does NOT help me when the pediatrician informs me that "Hm---girls usually train earlier than boys." My two first boys both trained right after they turned three, but my girl is three years seven months and only OCCASIONALLY uses the potty. I am trying not to LOSE MY MIND.