Mommy vs. The Potty: Take 2

Colin was over four years old when he decided he would be potty trained. I tried every method in the book -- popular and unpopular at the time. I made a sticker chart for the potty. I bought books about going potty. I sang songs about the potty. I threw cheerios into the potty. I dropped food coloring into the potty (so that it would change color if a guy used the potty). I made bribes about the potty. I made threats about the potty. I said prayers about the potty. I shed tears about the potty.

And finally I came to this conclusion: I could not make him go in the potty until he decided he was ready, and he wasn't ready until he was over four years old.

Well, now as we know, Preschooler D has turned three and is the only one at ECFE not wearing underwear or a pull-up, but the other thing I learned during Colin's preschool years was that mommies sometimes exaggerate about their children being potty trained. "Oh, yeah, she's potty trained . . . during the day . . . at home . . . every other Tuesday . . . if she's wearing her Dora underwear . . . and I put the potty in front of the TV."

Every morning I have been asking D, "Are you going to use the potty today?" And every day so far he has answered, "no." So, I'm not going to push it, and I am not going to talk about it (except between you and me) until he's mastered it.

Mommy wins.