Adventures in Pottysitting - Episode One - This will be Easy

Our kid is so much smarter than all the other kids. He wears cloth diapers, so it will be easier. The very first time he was ever sat on the potty he had a nice poop, was proud, had to be the one to flush, and he was potty trained.

Well, that very last bit wasn't true. He did poop the first time, was proud, and had to be the one to flush. But that was the last successful potty trip for ages. He just would not go. Couldn't get him to even sit on it. So we tried reading. He loves books, we all read a lot, and I often read him three or four before nap time. He sits on the potty, we read a book while we wait for some action. A second book, a third, a fourth, a fifth. Nothing.

We did get him on the potty though. It went on. Some minor successes, but still mostly in the diaper. He did start saying when he needed to go potty though. "Read me a book, read me a book!" Eventually, it struck me as funny that Mars desperately needed to go potty when Odin was getting lots of attention, or mummy was making dinner, or daddy was on the computer. He'd sit on the potty and demand to be read books, but nothing ever came out. Hmmmm..... So he is a smart little fellow.

This led to problems. The boy who cried wolf and all that. Reading is good, potty time is good, reading while going to the potty is good. But you have to do the doing part, little dude. So we no longer had unlimited reading. A book or two, if we don't have success, its off the potty again. Of course the wolf shows up. Plop plop plop as soon as he gets off. Sigh. Potty training is not easy.

A digression. Its hard to maintain parental composure when you're trying not to laugh. Like many parents, I find Elmo to be insipidly annoying. Mars loves him though. I think it started with cheerios. Three to be precise. "Look Mars, there's Elmo's nose and his two eyes!" His beloved Elmo could be found anywhere: 3 chocolate chips on peanut buttered bread, 3 coins, 3 rocks, three cups. Just about any time he saw what could be two eyes and a mouth. Of course he had to admire his handiwork on the bathroom floor, and of course he had to say "Look mommy, Elmo!"