No, I am not reading smutty novels for Book Club. We just finished C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce, so that would just be ... well, wrong.No, the Potty Reading going on at our house is indeed just that -- potty reading. Reading about the potty. Apparently mere conversation with Grace isn't doing the trick.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard these comments:
"Oh, she's not trained yet? And how old is she?"
"She's your second, right? I always heard the second child is easier."
"I'm surprised you're having troubles. I always heard girls are much easier than boys."
"Your son trained easily? In a week? I always heard boys are much tougher than girls."
"You mean to say she's trained with pooping, but not with pee?!"
"Have you tried bribing Grace with something? I heard that always works."
"Have you tried a sticker chart? I heard that always works."
"Have you tried rewarding her with something she wants? I heard that always works."
Have you tried ... Have you tried ... Have you tried ...
YES! I have!
What I have not done yet is let her run around au natural. It's cold, for one thing, and I'm also fearful of the mess. That is a battle plan I truly have to psych myself up for, and that could take weeks ... or never.
OK -- I will be honest here and say that I have not been completely focused on training her. It is not high on my priority list. I have not been diligent in keeping after her, setting timers, etc. I guess I have been following her cues -- I really don't think she gets the concept of peeing. Pooping? Just fine. Go figure.
So bribing doesn't work. She turns her nose up at stickers. A chart would fly right over her head. I thought I'd try something new today. We went to the library, and I checked out about half a dozen books on learning how to go on the potty. She thought they were hilarious!
I'm not sure if they're going to work, but they're pretty funny all the same. We read The Princess and the Potty at naptime this afternoon -- I thought that if any book could pique her interest and make some major connection with her, it's this one. She seemed completely engrossed, quiet, contemplative. We finished the story; I closed the book. My hopes started to rise. She said:
"Yeah, OK. But I still can't learn how to pee."
Hmmmmm .... I think my expectations just went swirling down the ... well, you know.
2 comments:
This brings back memories of Victoria...she took FOREVER! I remember being frustrated and calling my mom and asking her when I was potty-trained (like there's some hereditary aspect of this). She laughed and said, "YOU?! I was afraid you were going to start kindergarten wearing diapers..." That actually made me feel better in a weird kind of way. I think Victoria was at least 4 years old. It'll happen!
OK, Sandy, grab your tea at coffee hour after church on Sunday -- we DEFINITELY need to have a chat. In a weird way, I am SO glad to hear you say this ... :)
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