The frustrations of potty training continue.
Here’s a summary of some efforts to date:
- Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood (April 9)
- Adventures In Potty Training (May 28)
Luke’s official, potty-training stance has been to insist that big boys do wear diapers.
Toward the end of summer, we attempted to use preschool (which he’s been looking forward to for quite some time) as leverage, telling him that the other kids would be using the toilet and he needed to be potty-trained before the start of school.
These attempts were thwarted by a well-meaning big sister when Charlotte informed him that he didn’t have to be potty trained for school and that there were one or two kids in her class that wore diapers at first.
Luke was overjoyed at this revelation, coming into my office to triumphantly declare, “Dad, I can wear diapers at school!”
Great, Luke. Great.
Recently we’ve had some limited success in the morning. Unfortunately, we’ve resorted to bribing. When he wakes up and asks to watch tv, we make him sit on the toilet first (or else no tv). His diaper is often dry when he wakes up, which is an accomplishment, and if so, he usually successfully pees on the toilet. He still has not poohed on the toilet, despite the promise of a new dinosaur if he does. (We were so sure that would do the trick – he absolutely loves dinosaurs.)
During a visit to see our in-laws in the Berkshires, we were playing in a local park when Luke retreated to a nearby tree, apparently a self-designated interim pooh spot, prompting his grandfather to ask, “Luke, do you need to use a toilet?”
His response, through gritted teeth and clenched jaw, pretty much sums up our potty training experiences to date.
“Yes, but I don’t want to.”
I hope you enjoyed today’s serving of ‘mac & cheese.’
