the switch
I'm trying to make a connection here. It's a pretty basic one. One that probably all of you readers made so long ago that it's completely subconscious, now. But for one little 2-year-old in my house, mastering this concept is very hard work.
Here's what I'm trying to teach her:
The feeling of a full bladder? That means that you need to pee.
My oldest seemed to get this concept right away. The first time I ever put her on the potty at 18 months old, she went. This doesn't mean she was potty-trained early, though, because she's stubborn as all get-out and she simply preferred the convenience of diapers. She knew how to go in the potty if she chose to, however. It was getting her to make that choice on a consistent basis that was the trick.
(side note: everyone says, "Oh, they won't go to kindergarten still in diapers." And I suppose that's true. Since, A) peer pressure would probably shame them into it eventually; and B) you're not allowed to go to kindergarten still in diapers. But I think my kids would do it if it were allowed. They both seem to like diapers pretty well. I do not enjoy changing them, however, so potty-training it is).
My current student in the ways of the potty hasn't made the connection yet. She seems completely surprised and dismayed every time she has an accident. "Mama! I peed!" she cries, as the puddle forms around her feet. "I sorry, Mama!"
(side note: I am so glad our house is virtually all non-carpeted)
No, she is eager to please. She wants to pee in the potty. She loves the bribe (ahem--reward!) of candy that we offer her when she succeeds. She loves her Minnie Mouse underwear. She wants to wear them. But no matter how frequently we sit on the potty while I read her stories and ply her with lemonade in the hopes that we'll catch it at the right moment, it's still completely hit-and-miss.
There's some little switch that needs to get flipped in the brain. An aha! moment when the kid realizes: this feeling means I need to go potty. And she hasn't had that moment yet. Maybe she's just not ready, no matter how ready I am to have only one kid in diapers.
Too bad I can't just open up her pretty head and flip the switch for her.
Here's what I'm trying to teach her:
The feeling of a full bladder? That means that you need to pee.
My oldest seemed to get this concept right away. The first time I ever put her on the potty at 18 months old, she went. This doesn't mean she was potty-trained early, though, because she's stubborn as all get-out and she simply preferred the convenience of diapers. She knew how to go in the potty if she chose to, however. It was getting her to make that choice on a consistent basis that was the trick.
(side note: everyone says, "Oh, they won't go to kindergarten still in diapers." And I suppose that's true. Since, A) peer pressure would probably shame them into it eventually; and B) you're not allowed to go to kindergarten still in diapers. But I think my kids would do it if it were allowed. They both seem to like diapers pretty well. I do not enjoy changing them, however, so potty-training it is).
My current student in the ways of the potty hasn't made the connection yet. She seems completely surprised and dismayed every time she has an accident. "Mama! I peed!" she cries, as the puddle forms around her feet. "I sorry, Mama!"
(side note: I am so glad our house is virtually all non-carpeted)
No, she is eager to please. She wants to pee in the potty. She loves the bribe (ahem--reward!) of candy that we offer her when she succeeds. She loves her Minnie Mouse underwear. She wants to wear them. But no matter how frequently we sit on the potty while I read her stories and ply her with lemonade in the hopes that we'll catch it at the right moment, it's still completely hit-and-miss.
There's some little switch that needs to get flipped in the brain. An aha! moment when the kid realizes: this feeling means I need to go potty. And she hasn't had that moment yet. Maybe she's just not ready, no matter how ready I am to have only one kid in diapers.
Too bad I can't just open up her pretty head and flip the switch for her.
2 comments:
Jules is the same way, as far as not recognizing the feeling of having to go. She really does want to be potty-trained, but she'll sit and sit and sit on the potty, not go, and as soon as I put a diaper on her, she goes.
I'm not making an effort to potty train her until this summer, but she so wants to be like Sydney.
I don't have kids yet, so you take my response as utter nonsense if you want. As a children's librarian, I often help parents choose books, CDs, and DVDs for kids about going to the potty. Have you tried those? Maybe, somehow, Elmo is good at explaining what a full bladder feels like??? Plus, how awesome is it to have CDs full of songs about pee and poop? How's THAT for making a living?! "What do you?" "I write and record songs about pee."
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