Potty Training - but really..
Everyone hates it. Why do we hate it? Because itâs that one thing in parenting that is a guaranteed failure right off the bat. Except for that one parent who insists, âAt two, Timmy just got it! He trained himself.â We hate you. We hate Timmy, and Timmy will probably be divorced by 19 because he rushes into things too quickly.
We have to ask ourselves why we rush it. We should also delve into what we actually gain out of our child being âpotty trainedâ, and I use quotes there because there is a 6-8 month grace period to when your child is actually potty trained, and when you say your child is potty trained.
Well, we know why we rush it; bragging rights on the playground. We canât wait for that moment when we can casually squeeze in that our 2 year old prodigy who eats sand and calls toothpaste âpafetooseâ is potty trained. Â So when we are at the Meet and Greet at our kids pre-school and the teacher announces to bring in diapers and wipes, you can turn to the person next to you and be all, âThank g-d my kid doesnât need that, heâs potty trained.â We are such liars! All of us! You and you and you and you. Â And even you.
And what are we gaining from this? Ok, diaper bill goes down, a bit, but carpet cleaning bill goes WAY up. Electricity bill goes up from all those extra loads we do of soiled under pants because âthere was no toilet aroundâ, or âthere was a toy in the way and he couldnât make it on timeâ, or âthere was no stool in the bathroomâ, or any other excuse you want to use to convince yourself there was a justifiable legitimate reason why your 2 year old booger eating Savant couldnât strategically plan out his bathroom break. Like his time management was off that day. Usually itâs right on point.
We also need to ask, what motivation does this child actually have to go on the potty? What a giant pain in the ass if you think about it. Â He has the freedom to walk around, pee, play, pee, eat paste, poop, do whatever he pleases wherever he pleases. He can casually meander by you just so a hint of his wafting smell passes your nose, and he gets instantly changed, no work involved. Â Come on! What a life! At 2 you have no shame, so why not? Why would he give that all up to have to worry about finding a toilet at any given location? These children are not fools. They are geniuses.
Letâs start from the beginning, and get down to the reality of the real chain of events leading up to this momentous milestone in your childâs life.
8am: You place the potty in the middle of the room/bathroom/bedroom/kitchen. With a candy trail leading up to it. And sprinkled around it. And in it. It works for dogs, why not?
âWhen they are readyâ, you tell yourself, lying.
8:05am: As children can sense new things like a dog can sense fear, they run over to the potty and sit down on their brand new chair.
8:10am: You hand them a book so they look like they thought of this themselves then proceed to take multiple pictures from different angles.
Snapchat â Done! #Pottytraining!
Instagram â Done! #Pottytraining!
Facebook â Done! #Pottytraining!
 Whatsapp your various family groups the pictures.  When people respond âWow!â or âAmazingâ, your reply, âHe totally just sat down on the potty himself! Heâs ready!â
Totallly. No coaxing involved whatsoever.
Meanwhile while youâre catching up on your various correspondence, your child has already gotten off the potty, taken it apart, and is walking around the house wearing the bottom of it on his head like a hat. At this point taking off their underwear seems like a good idea. He already sat on the potty. He knows what to do. Obvs.
8:30am: âDo you have to make? Do you have to make? Do you have to make? Do you have to make?â
9:30am: âDo you have to make? Do you have to make? Do you have to make? Do you have to make?â
10:30am: Cleaning pee off the floor, nowhere near the potty. Most likely off your rug or couch, or other expensive form of fabric, because children just knowâŠ
10:40am: While you are cleaning, proceed to lecture child on where the peepee goes. Â In the potty. âWhere does the peepee go?â âIn the pottyâ (repeat this about 10 times because this usually apparently sinks into his bladder and teaches it how to work)
11:30am: Since itâs almost nap time, and that diaper will need to go back on and you are determined to have this child pee on the potty before he regresses back to diapers **sigh** At this point you believe itâs a good idea to just place him on the potty and distract him for as long as humanly possible.
11:45am: 2 videos, three books, two songs, two child attempts at escape, one tantrum, 1 bottle of bubbles later⊠nothing.
12:00pm: Nap time. There goes all your hard work.
3:30pm: So my kid sleeps for a long time, so what? Back off.
Itâs now time to have that internal debate whether you should keep the diaper on for the rest of the day, or forgo all that âhard workâ you put in. It may just make sense to try it again tomorrow, but crap, Timmy is coming over later for a playdate and I want to show that little shit and his bragging hag mother that my kid is diaper free.
4:40pm: Youâve spent the last hour plus lecturing your child reminding him that âBig boys make on the pottyâ and âTimmy make on the pottyâ and âDonât you want to be a big boy like Timmy?â
5:20pm: Youâve cancelled your playdate with Timmy. Youâre just not ready to face him yet.
5:30pm: Youâve LITERALLY placed him on the potty in front of the TV, and out of default he peed on it.
YAY! Heâs potty trained!
Signed up for âMy kid is potty trainedâ Facebook groups â Done!
Texted his teacher to let her know â Done!
At the end of the day, youâre just a moron. Your kid is not potty trained, and he wonât be for a while. But until he pees on your friends couch/floor/antique rug, Â no one has to know the secret you carry around, along with 3 back up diapers, 3 changes of clothes and 5 changes of underwear at all times.