Potty Training Day 13

I just have to write this all down so that I don’t forget anything.

Thursday was an absolutely awful potty training day. There were about 5 accidents and total unwillingness to even sit on the toilet, potty or any other type of basin.

Friday morning I woke up asking/telling him to once again sit on the potty. I have spent about 8 hours a day sitting on the floor of my bathroom waiting for the child to go.  After two accidents/mishaps/defiant episodes or whatever you want to call them. I was done. I had spent so many hours playing cheerleader, fun mom, pal mom, anything goes mom that I was all happy’d out. I couldn’t possibly muster up another try again next time after the child sits for 1/2 hour on the potty under protest only to put his underwear on and pee in them.  I was done!

I was going to take another route. It was time to be mean, disappointed, angry mom. I don’t recommend this at all because I am of the don’t push, give them some control over their life, smile through your tears, they are only kids school. This kid was working me and I knew it. He was refusing to sit, doing the have to pee so bad dance, running from me and then pee’ing all over the floor. I warned him on the second accident that the next time I told him to go to the toilet and he refused only to pee on my floor there would be time out.

The third accident was hard, I knew I had to follow through with my warning. I watched him run around the house trying to hold it. I told him to come with me to the potty. He screamed no and ran from me. I saw him stop, whimper and pee through his pants onto the rug. As I watched it darken his pant leg and did an about face and headed to my bedroom. I was seeing red and knew that if I didn’t walk away and collect myself I would regret it. I closed my bedroom door, hearing him crying out to me in the hall. I took a deep breath and opened the door. I told him to take his pants off and put his pants and underwear in the hamper. He did. I put some cleaning foam on the rug and when he came out from his first task I through some rags at him and told him to clean my rug until it was dry. He got down and scrubbed away. I stood there with my hands on my hips, disapproving mouth and kept my eyes down and angry.

When he was done I told him to put the rags in the garbage. He did and then I got the timer. I set it for 5 minutes (I usually do 3) and took him to the time out spot. I told him that he was in time out for not using the toilet and pee’ing on my floor. He screamed and carried on for the entire 5 minutes. It was hard not to feel bad for him. I understand accidents. I understand that this is something that will be learned over time (I am not sure why they call it potty training. It should be called potty learning) but this was just plain defiance. He was running around in a circle and whimpering like a puppy refusing to come to the potty with me and then going on the floor. Sup wit that man?!

This cycle happened about 4 times Friday. By Friday night I had absolutely nothing left and knowing that I had a party of 26 coming the next day was making it any easier.

Saturday morning we awoke and I asked him if he wanted to go potty. He said yes, he wanted to sit on his sister’s potty rather than the toilet.  He did and he went within 2 minutes of walking into the bathroom.  Wait..*sound of screeching brakes* didn’t I spend 8 hours a day sitting on  the bathroom floor for the past 12 days reading books, singing songs, talking, doing finger play games, tickling, running water, standing on my head and basically kissing major 3 year old baby booty hoping to hear the lovely sound of piss hitting the toilet water?

I told him I was proud of him. I told him he was a big boy. We high fived, hugged and I promised him the moon on a silver platter. We walked out of the bathroom told Dad and his sister. We celebrated and went about our business of getting ready for our guests.

We went to the bathroom 5 times yesterday and not a single accident except for #2 which I expected and today 6 times with another #2 accident. Whatever. I will clean shit out of his underwear for the next 6 months with a smile and a high five as long as we keep up the wonderful progress on the potty. After 6 months all bets are off and I might have to resort to time outs and him scrubbing out his own underwear.

I am not saying that we have turned a corner yet but this is definite progress and I am so excited that he seems very proud of himself.

Only time will tell but we are in it for the long haul and I think I need stock in size 6 underwear.