The Joys of Potty Training

Why do we use toilets?

I started potty training this summer, and have asked myself that question more times than I can count.  Why can't we all just wear diapers and save ourselves the time and effort?  I am at my wits end with trying to teach my 3 year old to use the potty.

I started over the summer, and it was going really well.  I used the rewards chart (that I made myself), I patiently put him on the potty every 30 mintues and cleaned up pee and poop from the floor all day long.  I encouraged and spun everything positively. . . and then it happened.  He started to go to the potty on his own, we went days at a time without accidents. . . for the most part, he was potty trained.  The only time we had accidents was if he couldn't make it to the potty in time, or if he couldn't find a bathroom.  Even on our across-province trip, we made it without any accidents.

Now, 3 months later, I'm finding him hiding in corners to pee and poop.  I am again cleaning pee and poop up off the floor, the toilet seat, etc.  I am completely out of ideas as to how to handle this.  I've tried the advice I've read from all of the 'experts', telling me to clean it up matter-of-factly and not punish him, but to encourage him and remind him to use the potty.  However, this is not working.  It's embarrassing, because we hired a sitter and told her that he was mostly potty trained, but he's had an accident nearly every day since he's been there!  I'm out of patience. 

I think the most frustrating this is that my child is very intelligent.  I know that a lot of mothers' say that about their children, and think their children are so smart and handsome and perfect.  I, however, do not have perfect child syndrome.  I can admit the faults of my children, however I am proud of their strengths.  My child is very smart, always has been.  I KNOW that he knows the difference.  He will even sometimes do it just for spite, if we put him in time-out for example.  I feel like it's just about him showing us that he can and will pee and poop wherever he wants to.  How do I even BEGIN to deal with this. 

Maybe we'll just become a family that uses diapers. . .

I'm back. . . for now!

So, having a consistent blogging lifestyle is obviously not a thing I'm good at. However, with the kids getting older and more independant, I find myself having more time on my hands to do some reading and writing, and other activities I enjoy that don't require leaving the house or leaving them 'unsupervised'. I have also found myself craving a writing outlet, somewhere to write about both the mundane and important events in my life. And so, I find myself reviving my old blog, renaming it, and giving it a go once again.

Needless to say, a lot has happened since 2009, my last blogpost. I continued to work in the same school until June of this year (2011). In May, we moved our family to another community, as my husband was requested to make the move by his boss. For a full month I stayed with a friend while my family was living 4 hours away. It was torture, and quite depressing! But we survived it.

Over the summer my husband was noticing some pretty gross things happening at his work, things that were both unethical AND bordering illegal, and so he decided to leave. He now has a new job that makes him very happy, and now I am the one doing the job hunting. It seems like we aren't meant to both hold down permanent jobs at the same time.

While we are loving our move, and we are very happy with our decision with regards to Brad's work, we have continued to face issues. The first being childcare. It's crazy how much people are charging for childcare! For us to have both of our children with a childcare provider, the cost range that we have found is from 1200-1500 dollars a month! And some of these people are just working out of their homes and taking in like 5-6 kids! Needless to say, I think I've gone into the wrong educational field. I should have spent less time in school and done an ECE diploma. I could have easily had a job, and I could have done WELL. On top of it, I wouldn't have to wonder what to do with my kids when I'm working. But, it is what it is. I am what I am. Luckily, we lucked into a young mom a couple of streets down who would take the boys for the same as what we were paying at our previous sitter, and she is flexible about the days (will do part time or full time). Hopefully I'll get LOTS of working days and we'll make good use of her. We'll see!