I am absolutely the farthest thing from a perfect parent. Some days I even just make it up as I go along. I read an article the other day in a Parenting Magazine that asked you to describe your parenting style in three words. My favorite: Whatever Works Today.
When you have a 5 ½ year age gap between children like I do, sometimes it’s hard to remember how things went with the first child. And if you’re me, then it’s even worse since you all know I have no memory!!
Potty training Emma was a bit of a chore because Emma is very stubborn. But once she decided she wanted to do it, the next day she was completely potty trained and never even wet the bed at night. Getting rid of her “binky” was another story, however. She had “bink” and “extra bink” (one for each hand) and if she should lose either of them during the night, I was getting out of bed to locate them. When we finally went cold turkey and took them away, she screamed for a week straight! No lie, I seriously almost checked myself in to the Robert Young mental ward. She actually yelled over and over – “Take me to Target to get another bink!” That was by far my worst parenting experience to date. So you would think I would have learned my lesson.
Fast forward to Aiden at now 2 ½ who is working on both potty training and getting rid of his binky. Unfortunately, to enter pre-school he has to be completely potty trained, but a) he’s a boy and b) he’s six months younger than Emma when she went to school. So we’re in serious crunch time right now to get it done. As for the potty training, it’s hit or miss. Some days he actually tells me he has to go, others I take him 15 times but his pull-up is still wet. We’ve tried rewards and stickers, but under no circumstances will he go #2 in the potty. I feel like I’m working against a ticking clock.
As far as the binky, I am hoping that will be much easier. Starting this week we are being diligent about only using it at bedtime. He generally spits it out as soon as he falls asleep. He should be easier to take it from, right? RIGHT?
Oh, and did I mention that he doesn’t take an afternoon nap anymore?
So today I’m asking you to pray for patience for me. A lot of it. And if I don’t make it through the next few weeks, please feel free to visit me at Robert Young.
Jenny, you are a great mom! I'm sure Aiden will be doing fine with potty training by the time he starts school. Emma wasn't quite 3 when she started Parents Day Out and while she wasn't night trained yet, I could count on her to manage those 3 hours at school with no problem. I'm sure Aiden will get there too. As for the #2 on the potty, has he had any constipation issues in the past? Emma had them starting as an infant and she was so tough to train to go #2 on the potty. She would hold it b/c she thought it would hurt and since she held it, it did hurt when she went; it was a vicious cycle! And my girls were the same with their pacis. They each always had one in their mouth and then one in both hands. They were both 3 before we took them away and it went much easier than I ever anticipated. Jack, on the other hand, never wanted a pacifier. I tried every kind, too! I guess it's OK now, but when he was a baby I really wanted him to take one. Good luck with everything with Aiden; I'm sure he will figure it out!
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