When You Know It's Time

How do you know it's time for your child to commit to potty training?  "Experts" have all sorts of suggestions.

• Can your child follow simple one word instructions?
• Can he stay dry for two hours?
• Can he walk to the bathroom?
• Is he generally cooperative?

To those questions we can answer a definite "Yes!"  But I have a few more to add:

• In the middle of a Caribou coffee date, does your child say, "I need to go to the bathroom.  I need my diaper changed."
• Can your child take a bag containing a dirty diaper, unlock the back porch door and set it by the back door?
• After being forced to sit on the potty for "5 minutes," does your child look up at the clock and say, "Mommy, it's been five minutes."

Where we seem to be getting into trouble is the part where your child wants to learn to use the potty.  Preschooler D does not want to learn to use the potty. He is perfectly content with his diaper.  We have lots of rational conversations where we discuss the merits of using the potty and lots of irrational conversations where I start promising, as one friend I know did, any toy in the store.

Since our holiday schedule is still a little off what we normally do, I am going to wait until next week.  Next week.  When D turns four.  That's right. Four.