Potty Talk

R is, shall we say, a strong willed child. My third is my challenge. The one that has been put on earth to test just how much patience I can have in a given day. She is the person who if I ever say black, she will say white. If I ask her to do anything, only the opposite will happen. So, to say I was dreading potty training a child with this particular temperament is an understatement. So, I put it off. Basically, I was going to wait until she was practically begging me to do it and then I’d reluctantly agree. Reverse psychology with a 2 year old.

So, after she turned 2, we’d peruse the aisles at Target. We’d admire the new potty seats and chairs. We would look at the pretty underwear. Yes, I do think those princesses are pretty. Yes, I love the glitter. Oh, look. They also have some with your friend Dora on them. No, we can’t get any until after you are potty trained. After a few months of this, we conceded and bought a little froggy potty chair. She liked to look at this, but did not want to use it. I did not push.

Being the third child in our family, there were other obstacles to her training. Once she was asking me to go, I had to say no not now to her. We were in the middle of baseball and softball season this spring. The only things out on those fields are porta potties. No way would she have gone in there and no way would I go in there the every two minutes a newly potty trained child needs to go! So, I told her she had to wait. The panties at Target tormented her each visit. Oh look, they now had Elmo and Abby Cadabby!

As soon as the sports season ended, our family was scheduled to go on a 16-hour road trip to North Carolina. There, we were going to be at the pool and beach for a week. Sorry, but I did not want to deal with it during vacation. The 16-hour trip would have been a 25-hour trip with potty breaks. So, again, we said she had to wait.

When we came back from vacation, she trained. The first time I took the diaper off, she wet the floor. The second time that day, she caught herself after a sprinkle started. Same with the third time. After that, she made it to the potty. The end of Reagan’s potty training.

I know. It shouldn’t be that simple should it? But, I think that waiting for her to be really ready and not pushing her made it so much easier. We still have to get rid of the pull-ups overnight, but they are dry more frequently now.

It’s pretty ironic that the one child I was most worried about was my easiest to potty train. No fuss, no muss. She just did it. I thought it would have been terrible and it was the complete opposite. I couldn't be more thrilled. R was rewarded with an unbelievable supply of princess, Elmo, Dora and Abby Cadabby underwear. Hey, if I knew it’d be this simple, I’d have given in a while ago. It’s a lesson that I’ve learned repeatedly on this parenting adventure. They’ll surprise you if you let them.