Can I just take a moment to vent about moms who BRAG about how their kids are potty trained? Seems to me this is not some major accomplishment on the part of the parent, but rather the child, and last time I checked, there weren't too many kids walking up to get their diplomas in a DIAPER, so eventually they all manage to get the gist of it.
I'm peeved only because it seems as though I can't turn around without hearing someone discussing their toddler's toileting habits. Don't get me wrong, I want Emma to be out of diapers, much more for her than for me. If she's still in them this summer, she can't go to 99% of the summer fun stuff for kids her age.
I know what you're thinking, I'm just pissed because I'm jealous that these moms have kids who don't need diapers anymore. They don't have to spend the money on them and they don't have to figure out how to dispose of them. Nope, that is NOT it. As for me, truth-be-told, I'd just assume KEEP her in the diapers a little longer. I have an infant after all, and as selfish as it sounds, it's way easier to simply change a diaper when you're out with both kids than to figure out how to take a toddler to the potty while carrying in a carrier or pushing an infant in a big double stroller. I mean, it's not like little kids give you a lot of notice even once they've figured out the whole potty situation, and it's not like everyplace you go has a public facility, and then there are accidents in public and the car seat to worry about cleaning. If you ask me, it's as scary for me as it probably is for her. I'd rather go the cold-turkey method and stay home for a few days until she's pretty reliable than "train" her over a period of time and worry about all that.
Besides, it's not like having a toddler who's potty trained entitles a mom to stop touching poop. Mastering the art of going in the toilet is a far cry from mastering the art of cleaning one's ass thoroughly. If we parents didn't step in and help, ours would be the "smelly kid" in preschool (as Adam Sandler calls it).
Bottom line? I wish people would stop taking credit for and bragging about this developmental milestone. To me, its as ludicrous as bragging that your child is crawling or walking or talking. Seems to me the only reason to brag about something like this is to make other parents feel inferior, and after watching Discovery Health Channel's "Raising 16 Children" last night (a reality series about the Duggar family), I feel inferior enough as it is! I mean, these people have 16 of the most well-behaved, normal, bright kids you've ever seen, and I'm stressed and harried with two??
The day some Oscar recipient thanks their mom for potty training them successfully at the tender age of 2, I'll change my tune, until then, let's give it a rest, shall we?
Posted by insomnomaniac at March 16, 2006 4:52 PM | TrackBackIt is mostly up to the kid.
My daughter decided at about 16 months that she didn't like to feel wet. She started waking up dry. It took about a week to train her to use the potty chair. My son, otoh, was too busy/didn't care. He was still having problems at 3yrs. No real difference in our efforts.