Friday, September 14, 2012

Toilet Training again

I hate toilet training.

I have always hated toilet training.

I trained my 3 bio kids.

Then, I trained O.

Now, I have to train S. She knows how to go on the potty, but she "don't want to" as she says whenever I ask her to try. I have not yet found the carrot that will motivate her. Stickers? Not interested. Candy bribes? Exciting for 1 day, then over it. Toy reward? Says she wants it, but doesn't go. Can't go to school until this happens? Doesn't care. Picked out her own new underwear at the store, but can't wear it until she stops wetting the boring training underwear? Shrug.

The worst moments are when she tells me with a smile! that she peed or pooped her pants. Again.

Makes me want to throw punishment in there, even though I know that "all the experts" say not to.

(She's not phased by having to wear a diaper. If I tell her that she can skip her nap if she goes in the potty, but that "babies who poop in their pants" take naps, she tells me she wants to be a baby and takes a nap without a fuss. When I stopped asking if she needed to go and started just telling her to try -- for more than 2 seconds --  it led to crying for Mommy or Daddy "because they love me.")

I hate toilet training.

3 comments:

  1. If it were me, I'd probably take a break on the toilet training. You're dealing with a trauma response. She's grasping for control in the only place she can find it.

    Sorry. Toilet training stinks!

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  2. :-) I always say, "If I potty train them, I'm KEEPING THEM!" That's why I've fostered 5 infants and a teenager I guess. ;-)

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  3. You're right, Cherub Mamma, and I'm mostly backing off and letting her go when she wants to and not when she doesn't.

    I was just venting after a day when she stood in front of the toilet and looked at it while pooping in her pants....after telling me she was going to go poop in the potty!

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