Tales from the Potty Training Crypt – The Potty Project

With my first two children, I waited until they really showed signs of wanting to be potty trained and possibly caring a little more about sitting in a pile of poop for a while or rather the not wanting to sit in said pile. Each child was around 3.

The worst part is that from ages 2 to 3 (for both children) I had to answer the exact the same question from my father, who asked this question the exact same way every stinkin' week:

Soooooooooo? When do you think that you are going to get around to potty training that child of yours?

Kind of said in the tone like potty training was on my list of “To Do” items but that I just had not gotten around it. I resented it a lot a little ok a lot. It always made me feel like I wasn't doing enough as a parent. It bothered me. Until one day I came to the realization that he really wasn't being condescending, I was just doing things different from the way that he did them back in the day. So I promised myself that I would be more assertive next time which definitely not one of my strong suits.

Fast forward to second baby, the same thing started happening again:

Soooooooooo? When do you think that you are going to get around to potty training that child of yours?

I had to stop and think this time ‘what could I say here to change the course of where this conversation may be heading?' ‘Be assertive,' I thought to myself for about the hundredth time.

I replied “Hey Dad, that kind of hurts my feelings. I know that I was potty trained in the womb but I am just a different kind of parent than you were. [Ok that was maybe a little passive aggressive but I tried] Annabella (second baby) is pretty assertive and I bet that she is going to let us know when she is ready. So I am going to let her.”

I waited and about 2 years, 10 months she told me one day in the store that she wanted princess panties (you know the brand but I don't want to say it because I really don't want one of my first posts about that company to be about my kid pooping in her princess panties). And that was that.

Now with baby number three it has come around to potty training time or at least the time to start seriously thinking about it. She has two older siblings and she aspires everyday to be their shadow. This kid will be the champ, I think. She is ready at almost a year earlier than the other two. A year less of diapers? I would save 10 minutes a day changing diapers. Cool! I mean we will still do the obligatory heiney wiping for another year or so or six but this is a start.

***Thanks to cool ladies at The Parent Bloggers Network and The Potty Project for giving me the inspiration to start potty training. I just ordered my FREE Potty Training Success DVD here. ***

Make sure to check back with my starting June 1st as I begin potty training my third child. There will be some laughter, some tears, some vlogging and some cool reviews of the ‘must have' potty training products out there. Check back often for your chance to win some of these items.