Adventures in Potty Training

After taking Ian to the doctor last week and talking about Noah and his lack of potty interest, the doctor suggested we put underwear on under his pull up so he could feel the wetness.  I thought this was a great idea, so we decided to start it this weekend.  When we got home, I told Noah it was time to put on underwear.  He started screaming he wanted his pull up and I told him he wouldn't get to watch Rudolph and Frosty (his new favorite movies) until he put on the underwear.  After the extreme tantrum started, I realized I had done him a grave disservice by allowing him to wear pull ups this long.  He's come to rely on them to pee in versus actually using the potty.  I should have stopped them when he started doing so well.  I also decided we'd go straight to undies instead of giving him the crutch he's relied on for so long.  Let that be a lesson to other moms out there!!

I got the underwear on the screaming child, to which he then immediately took them off.  I opted not to play the game and headed back downstairs.  I told him no movie until he put his undies on.  A little while later, he appears downstairs (still screaming mind you) with the pull up crying to put it on him.  I guess this is where it was in my favor that he never really learned how to put them on himself.  He finally threw it at me and started pouting.  He headed back upstairs and brought down a toy.  I asked if he was going to put the undies on and he replied no.  He opted to go commando. (rated PG photo below - yes, foot is strategically placed!).

I guess after a while he got a little chilly and he finally grabbed the undies and put them on. 

I thought, "yes, that's 1 for 'parents'!"  I'm breaking him down!  I kept asking if he needed to potty and he said no.  I found this a little strange since he hadn't gone since he got home and had quite a bit to drink.  I figured he must be a camel as much as he could absorb.  Regardless, I let him watch his Christmas movie as I was proud of him for putting on the undies.

Well, the joke was on me.  I asked him where his blue pants were (that he had on before) and he told me they had pee on them.  I figured I must have misunderstood because his undies were dry.  I asked him to get me the pants and bring them to me.  I smelled them and sure enough, they smelled like pee (I guess he gets one for being honest).  At this point, I sent Mike upstairs to look at where he possibly could have peed and sent Noah to show him.  As I went to yell up at them I discovered the spot.  There was pee all over the bottom of the stairs on the tile.  WOW.  If he had been a dog, I'd have rubbed his nose in it.  I was still considering it.  At least it was on tile so relatively easy to clean up. 

Mike had a long chat with him about the fact we don't pee on the floor, but in the potty and to tell us when he needs to go.  Since we were very upset with Noah, we told him to stay upstairs until dinner time. 

But oh, it gets better...

A few minutes later, I guess Mike's nose was at work and yells up to Noah and asks if he pooped.  He hollars down that he had - again, yay honesty.  BUT COME ON!  Here we go again.  Mike heads back upstairs and lectures Noah.  Had he heard and learned nothing? 

The answer is that he just doesn't care.  

We banished him to his room for the night, but I have a feeling it's not going to matter.  I do put some of the blame on us as we are not stringent about making him sit every few hours, but that is going to change.  He's shown us that he knows what to do and when, he's just rebelling for whatever reason. 

This parenting thing is hard.  I raise my glass (yes, I am drinking wine right now - I have to, to stay sane these days) and salute our parents - you came, you saw and you conquered!

Cheers,

Corri & Mike