Thursday, February 21, 2013

Potty training an emotional experience

The Epic Potty Training weekend is over and I'm left feeling extremely emotional over the experience. In all the information I read it neglected to mention what an emotional toll it takes on the parent. I had to be glued to Baines' side for 3 day and nurse Bixby as well. Every moment was spent making sure she didn't pee on the floor, constantly persuading her and reminding her she wasn't wearing a diaper. Whenever she had an accident I couldn't help but feel I didn't watch her enough or take her to the bathroom enough. I found myself feeling really frustrated and guilty. Also both girls came down with colds and fever that added to the stress.

We tried several different methods in one because honestly I had no idea how she would respond. She's such a wild card! We did nothing below the waist which ended abruptly when she crapped in the middle of our New bedroom then threw a ball in it and ended up somehow with poop in her hair??? Ya, that happened. I had to leave the room for a breather on that one. (Parenting is hard).

I thought Underpants were a great incentive for her because we got princess and Dora prints but they felt too much like she was still wearing a diaper. So she wet herself constantly. We then opted for the loose fitting pants only method and that worked the best. She still had accidents but it was uncomfortable and made her aware of the mistake.

The hardest part for me was reminding myself that she wouldn't be completely potty trained after the weekend but starting the road to success. I was getting so frustrated with her because she's so smart and I know she understands the concept and knows what to do. We even went for the bribes. She had two gift bags one for pee and one for poop. She got candy for pee and a small activity toy for poop i.e. paints, stamps, book.

She really wanted one of the prizes but she couldn't figure out. She had not yet learned the signals her body was giving her when she needed to go. That's what this weekend was really about teaching her to recognize that.

As I said I was so frustrated and on edge after the first two days. I was so short tempered with her and it wasn't going as well as I hoped. On Monday night I learned that someone I know lost her 8 year old niece to cancer. It broke me hear the news. All the frustrations I was feeling then turned to gratitude for the experience. That I am able to be a mother, a teacher, a comforter, and a best friend to this little person. I can't take for granted any moments spent with my children good or bad.

I started letting go and instead of pretending I was having fun making her use the potty I actually started to. If she pees her pants its fine she'll get the hang of it soon enough. I am proud to say that today she didn't have one accident and even ran to the bathroom to poop all by herself. Ya that's a huge deal. So I definitely think it was a success. We're so proud of her and SO lucky to be her parents. My love for her gets bigger everyday.

PS. she only has 2 more squares to fill up on her chart before she gets the "ballerina" dress, owl socks, and fairy wings.

1 comment:

  1. Please forgive me for laughing at the poop in her hair! It was more a laugh of, "Why does the weirdest possible situation always happen when I'm with my toddler?" But I really loved reading this post. A lot of perspective here, not to mention the help for when it's time for us to make the big leap. I love the chart too! Hilarious. You're right about this being a way for her to learn the signals. That's the biggest thing, and it will be important for me to remember when it's our turn. Wish us luck, and congrats to you and her!

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