I place my own glass of water on the table then slide another towards her.
"What's this?" She points to the glass.
"Your water, drink up." I say nonchalantly and take a long sip from my own glass.
"But..." she glances at the digital oven clock, "bedtime is in like half an hour."
"I know! That's why you need to drink it. This is the next step of nighttime potty training."
"It'll make me pee! That's why we said no drinking an hour before bed!" She gesticulates grandly and sticks her arms out.
"Sweetie, the hour rule is like training wheels. Real grownups who don't wet the bed should be able to drink as much as they want at any time before bed without any problems. Trust me on this."
She doesn't need to know this glass will have me waking up at 2 in the morning. At least, unlike her, I wake up to pee.
She eyes the glass and bites her lip. "I don't know...I don't want to ruin my progress. I haven't had a full night time accident in a week!"
"Exactly, that's why it's time to start holding you to grown up standards. Now, drink. Then we'll brush teeth." I say with my Mommy knows best voice.
She resigns, and picks up the glass. A little dribble escapes and runs down her chin.
"There you go, just a little more, that's it!" I flash a big smile at her, hoping some positive reinforcement will get her more on my side.
After we brush our teeth and she's gone potty for the last time I guide her towards the bedroom with my hand on the small of her back.
She still is not sold. "And, what if I pee in the bed?"
"You have a pull-up on, baby." I pull back the covers and reach for my bedside lamp.
"Yeah, but that was a big glass..."
"Well, if you really are ready to be dry all night then your body will wake you up, or you will hold it all night long."
"And if I'm not ready?" She climbs into the bed next to me.
"Then you aren't. Some people just don't learn how to stay dry at night. If you can't handle a glass of water before bed then we should probably just go back to diapers. It's not a bad thing, just what's right for you. Aw, don't look so beat up, sweetheart. I know you've worked hard the last few weeks. It's just not worth if it you can't do it all the way." I shrug and open up the Magic Treehouse book I'm reading to her this week.
By the time I tuck the bookmark in next to an illustration of Jack and Annie wandering a prehistoric landscape she's squirming next to me.
"Everything ok?" I feign concern.
"Can I go potty one last time before bed?" Her eyes are wide and pleading.
"I'm afraid not. Grown-ups can hold it all night long."
"But we aren't sleeping yet! Please, you go potty before bed all the time!"
"Shhh, I don't want to hear excuses. It's bedtime. Goodnight, I love you," I kiss her forehead and pull the covers up, "Remember sweetie, not everyone is ready to be dry all night, and that's just fine.
