Change is hard. Not only for my 3 year-old, but for me as well. This is the obligatory "potty post" on the family blog, but not in the we-have-him-trained kind of way. Rather it is the, change is difficult, kind of way. (My apologies if this is too much information, but such is my life this weekend and probably for awhile as we help Alvin transform into a real boy.)
You see, Alvin has the skill set. He can sit, he can pull his pants down (or to be more accurate, off), he can wash his hands. And many times he puts all this together.
What he doesn't have is the motivation or incentive that he should be initiating this and doing this all the time, every time. Let's face it. It is just easier to go in your pants.
As a parent, I have the skill set to help him make this happen. I know what i'm supposed to do. I know what I am supposed to do to help him be consistent. I want him to reach this milestone and grow up just a little bit more.
But what I don't have is patience. And I hate messes. And I'm lazy. And in fact after day one yesterday of saying bye bye to diapers and hello underwear, I did one load of laundry that consisted of:
- 5 pairs of underwear
- 5 pairs of shorts
- 1 t-shirt
- 1 pair of socks
- Plus I washed one pair of Thomas and Friends tennis shoes, that will not be ready to wear again today because they are still drying. For anyone that sees Alvin on a regular basis you know these are the ONLY shoes he will let on his feet even though he is about to outgrow them and they have holes. Finally, a consequence of not using the potty that may just make an impact on Alvin. This could be his equivalent of hitting bottom.
Then I went to bed and had traumatic dreams about potty training and having to clean up messes over and over again. I'm not kidding. I woke up crying.
You see, Alvin has the skill set. He can sit, he can pull his pants down (or to be more accurate, off), he can wash his hands. And many times he puts all this together.
What he doesn't have is the motivation or incentive that he should be initiating this and doing this all the time, every time. Let's face it. It is just easier to go in your pants.
As a parent, I have the skill set to help him make this happen. I know what i'm supposed to do. I know what I am supposed to do to help him be consistent. I want him to reach this milestone and grow up just a little bit more.
But what I don't have is patience. And I hate messes. And I'm lazy. And in fact after day one yesterday of saying bye bye to diapers and hello underwear, I did one load of laundry that consisted of:
- 5 pairs of underwear
- 5 pairs of shorts
- 1 t-shirt
- 1 pair of socks
- Plus I washed one pair of Thomas and Friends tennis shoes, that will not be ready to wear again today because they are still drying. For anyone that sees Alvin on a regular basis you know these are the ONLY shoes he will let on his feet even though he is about to outgrow them and they have holes. Finally, a consequence of not using the potty that may just make an impact on Alvin. This could be his equivalent of hitting bottom.
Then I went to bed and had traumatic dreams about potty training and having to clean up messes over and over again. I'm not kidding. I woke up crying.
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