Mighty Mom Monday: “Potty Training 101-102”

This classic post is from “My Wonderful Life” . For those who just can’t get enough, here’s installment #3!(June 2007). Thanks, Sarah!

OK, here we are halfway through the summer. I had 2 goals for this summer back in May.

1) Get Alligator’s fingers OUT OF THAT MOUTH.

2) Potty train Sonshine.

Apparently, God laughed and laughed when I told Him these goals. I’ve given up on Gator-Boy for now. He started cutting those 2-year molars and, to tell the truth, it just wasn’t worth the fight.

Sonshine, however, I am working with. So far he’s decided he wants to spend every waking moment in the bathroom, flushing the toilet. I was emailed a video once about a guy’s cat who kept flushing the toilet. At the time I wondered just how huge his water bill must be. Now I know. The thing is, not only does Sonshine keep flushing it, but so does Alligator.

Last night I was on the phone for 15 min. Sonshine was asleep on the couch (it was past bedtime). Alligator-boy spent the ENTIRE 15 minutes running from the chair, where he giggled at the cat (who was non-plussed to say the least) to the bathroom, where he flushed the toilet.

I’ve tried and tried to teach them to at least wait till the potty stops making noise before flushing again. But they seem to think this is child abuse. So, here’s my question to you. We have childproof locks for EVERYTHING. There’s one to keep toilet lids shut, there’s one to keep the toilet paper from being unrolled. There’s one to keep toys out of VCRs. There are even little clips to keep shoes tied. How do you keep the kid from just flushing the toilet over and over and over?

Fortunately (or not), neither of them have mastered peeing in the potty yet … so we haven’t discovered we can flush stuff down the toilet. Once that happens I’m afraid it’ll all be over, the battle lost. I might as well just put a pillow in the bathroom and move in.

And what would you call a contraption that prevents multiple flushings anyway … a Single Shot Potty?? Get a Handle on your Toilet Handle?? One Flush at a Time?? The One Flush Wonder??

Potty Training: The Prequel

Well, it’s been a rough week. So I decided I needed to laugh, and y’all can laugh with me.

So, we’re trying to potty train Sonshine. This is proving more difficult than we expected. In order to help him get the idea of what it is that I want him to do, I’ve asked Subvet to take Sonshine with him when he needs to pee. Show him how big boys do it … all that.

Well, Subvet is a little shy about this sort of thing but sportingly agreed.

So, the time came … and Dad and Son went into the bathroom for the first time to see what it’s all about. I’m in the living room listening to the following conversation. (All from Subvet.)

“Come on, let’s go tee tee like a big boy … Geez, this is embarrassing ….
Yeah, Daddy’s a big boy …  This is how big boys put tee tee in the potty.
(I can’t believe I’m doing this) …

“Yeah, Daddy’s tee tee … HEY, DON’T DO THAT!!! GET YOUR HANDS OUT OF THERE!! Come and wash your hands.”

Apparently Sonshine had decided to “play in Daddy’s fountain.” Daddy was NOT amused.

*Sigh*