Boo has been sitting on the potty regularly for some time now. There was a time when she would pee two or three times a day though, to be honest, we may have sat the potty in front of the telly for a bit of that. Still, things were progressing and that was all I cared about. I’ve potty trained too many kids to ‘fight’ with her over it!
Then this summer happened. There was a lot of turmoil in the house, yelling, CONSTANT arguing, tension you’d have needed a chain saw to cut through … It was bad. Boo started waking up (a LOT) during the night, scared and crying. She wasn’t sleeping good at all, wasn’t eating well and she, gradually, stopped using the potty all together! Didn’t matter how long you made her sit on it, Miss Iron Bladder prevailed. I backed off and figured I’d give her a week or two off and then get back to it. During that time I pointed out how the arguing was effecting her and pleaded (probably demanded) that it stop.
When I started her back on the potty she would occasionally pee but nothing with regularity. Not even close. September I started chemo and was so utterly wiped potty training was not consistent. I’d put her on the potty, at my feet, as I used the bathroom first thing in the morning and, sometimes, before her bath but that was pretty much it unless Mike was home. The last couple of weeks I’ve been trying to hit this harder, being more consistent but she’s SO RESISTANT! This little girl is nothing if not stubborn!
A few days ago she pooped in the potty, her first official poop! I was thrilled! I smiled and I clapped and congratulated her, wanting to encourage more of this. She, however, was repulsed. The retching sounds got louder, so much so, I had to get her out of the bathroom and away from her poop before she kicked her cookies! She was angry and nearly cried. When I told her it was amazing she looked confused and tears threatened to overflow her bottom lids. Traumatized by her poop!
Since she’s used the potty exactly once and that was just to pee. If you ask her to poop on the potty she gets pretty loud, telling you NO! NO POOP ON DA POTTY!! I’ve never seen a kid react this way to pooping on the potty. Ever. Boo has a memory on her, too. *Months* ago Bear, her daddy, accidentally popped one of her toes. It caused her a little pain and she still, this many months later, doesn’t want him touching her toes. When he tries she says “No poppin!” and pulls her feet away from him.
So.
I’m going to get a candy jar, fill it with chocolate (M&Ms) and put it in the bathroom where she can see it from the potty. That’s right, I’m going to try bribing her. Bribing doesn’t always work with Miss Incredibly Stubborn but I think her love of chocolate may win out. Maybe. I hope. Oh please, please let this work! Do you know how many diapers I’ve changed? I have four kids, helped ‘raised’ three more during the diaper years (I babysat, lots of times, with one kid living with us while the other two often stayed during the week) and now I have a grandbaby who’s always lived with us. I sometimes wonder if it all adds up to years of my life, the actual act of diaper changing and potty training. I’m being silly but only sort of ….
Now to find the biggest bag of her ‘chocalate’ that I can. Cross fingers and send awesome vibes this way. Must fight the poop memory!