Archives for posts with tag: potty training

No More Diapers…sort of.

May 25, 2016 //
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We went the route of letting our children potty train themselves. There are other methods, but this one required the least amount of effort on our part. (With two small children, we’ve got plenty of other things to worry about…) Did it work? YES!

The goal was to get them both out of diapers before high school, so I pat myself on the back for a job well done! Though, I thought that once kids were potty trained, the diapers disappeared. That’s not the case. Strangely enough, little bladders are still fully functional at nap and bedtime. We’re almost there, though!

Now that Mushie isn’t wearing diapers anymore, leaving the house is stressful. We could be walking out the front door to the car and she will have to go pee. Or we’re at the park and the homeless people bathroom is the only one available and she has to take a dump…in the dirty stall with no toilet paper. She’s not the type that “wants” to see every bathroom facility in the southwestern part of the U.S. She’s the type with impeccably inconvenient timing for potty breaks. My bathroom monologue when we’re brave enough to be out-and-about goes something like this:

“Don’t touch anything! No, get away from there. Don’t touch that either. No the toilet won’t flush you down it. Why are you wearing two dresses? No, you can’t take off your shoes. Sorry, it’s too loud in here. There isn’t any other bathroom for us to go to. Why would you pick that up? Stop touching stuff in here! Yes, the person next to us farted. Mushie, stop talking to them. Let them potty in peace. Ok, now sit. No, it won’t flush by itself. Just go potty, Mushie. It’s just a toilet! Sit! Don’t touch anything. Stop bouncing. Don’t try to jump off the toilet! Just stop moving! Yes, you need the paper between your butt and the toilet seat! Don’t take it off! Are you done? Now, don’t do anything. Stand right here. Don’t sit on the floor. Ok, now let’s go wash our hands…”

Even if Mushie has to go twice in a 10 minute span, I’m singing that same song while internally writhing over all the strep, staph, hep, and leeches preparing to launch themselves simultaneously onto her bare bum bum. (In case you were wondering, the toilet seat typically isn’t as germ-laden as the sink, the faucet, or any handle in the bathroom that gets touched often. Thank heavens that not everybody washes their hands, otherwise the sink would be riddled with even more germs!)

Yep, it’s great to have both kids potty trained….sure…yep, great. At least I’m not carrying a diaper bag around these days! (I’m sweating sarcasm here…)  

I'll wipe their butts until they're 20 as long as we don't have to use the public potty ever again!

I’ll wipe their butts until they’re 20 as long as we don’t have to use the public potty ever again!

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Categories Play

I Smiled at Mushie’s Poop…

January 16, 2015 //
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and I think it smiled back at me! I don’t know who’s happier about this, me, Mushie, or the poop in the mini potty. She said that she wanted to go poopie, so she was placed on the fake toilet thingy (whatever it’s called), and dropped a turdle.

It was amazing. Why? Because I’m starting to see it. A world without diapers and butt wipes and zinc cream and rubber gloves and hazmat suits. A world where I can leave the house without wondering how many poops I saw in the morning and anticipating what damage could happen while out in the field. It’s a future where a visit to the zoo doesn’t cover anyone’s backside, frontside, and sideside in excrement. A future where I’m not smelling butts before and between appetizers and dessert, patting the diaper sag every hour, or avoiding Mushie’s booty bulge in hopes that Steph will be “the first one” to notice that something’s amiss.

From what I’ve read about toddlers, girls tend to drop the diapers sooner than boys…something about boys just not giving a crap (pardon the pun) that a giant tootsie roll is hitching a ride. Though I can see how after a while, you just wouldn’t notice it back there…or that maybe there’s a possibility that it could just dry out and fall off on its own.

We didn’t rush the Worm into underwear. And he did take his time with it, until the peer pressure from schoolmates probably coaxed him into getting his shit together (another pun, sorry). So, I don’t really want to rush the Smushter. Studies say that it’s a sensitive subject and you can screw up children for life if you don’t potty train correctly. And there’s a fine line between letting them crap everywhere they please and forcing them to spend the better part of the day on the toilet waiting to experience the real thing. If Mushmonster was easy to change, I wouldn’t care so much. But having to wrestle and pin her down during changes isn’t fun anymore. We’re going on two years with the same flailing, kicking, and grabbing. She’s getting bigger and stronger…and I’m only getting older and slower.

Mushie, I'm just glad you didn't turn around and pick it up with your hands...

Mushie, I’m just glad you didn’t turn around and pick it up with your hands…

 

 

 

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Hold Me, Honeydaddy!

April 1, 2014 //
2

Whoa, wait a second. That doesn’t mean what I thought it meant.

For men, there are a few unwritten rules about doing ‘number one’.

  1. Eyes on your own pee pee.
  2. Hands on your own pee pee.
  3. Aim directly at the target (preferably a toilet).
  4. Laughing and giggling during the event will not be tolerated.  (Sure, peeing is fun.  You’ve got a water hose attached to your body.  But it’s really quite awkward when other people can hear you.  Trust me.  I know.)
  5. Don’t try advanced techniques unless you’re ready to clean up afterwards.

All 5 of the cardinal rules were violated in one fell swoop.  How do I know?  I was one of the violators.  It wasn’t my fault.  The Worm made me do it.

A few weeks ago, Worm came home telling me how his best friend at school showed him how to pee standing up.  Wondering how a toddler that recently learned to stand and chew simultaneously could be so insightful, I was game to find out more.

“Show me.” I said.

Worm ran over to the toilet.  I followed quickly after, eager not to miss any part of this new trick.

*SNAP*  *ZIP* Pants fell to his ankles.  Two quick yanks on the diaper tabs and it hit the floor.

Then, I watched in horror (violation of rule #1)  as Worm leaned against the toilet, put his hands on his hips (violation of rule #5) and just let it rip (violation of rule #3)!  All the internet stories of kids spraying themselves, the furniture and unwary bystanders flooded my mind.  In order to save myself and our bathroom from urinihilation, I did what any handsome red-blooded hero with catlike reflexes and chiseled muscles would do.  I lunged towards the little pistol.  I grabbed it (violation of rule #2) and turned it squarely at the toilet bowl.  It fired off round after round for what seemed like eternity.  The whole time, a squeaky little stream of “heh heh heh” (violation of rule #4) filled the air.

Thankfully, I was able to save us and the bathroom from catastrophe.

My takeaways from this were:

  • Worm’s friend may be missing a couple of key parts of his method.
  • Worm’s friend should probably get certified or something before he starts teaching.
  • Worm’s friend’s dad must be a “hands free” kind of guy.  (Kids don’t just pick this kind of stuff up without seeing someone else do it.)
  • This is the first of those “Honeydaddy, look what I learned at school today!” moments.  I need to be better prepared.
  • I don’t really like holding anyone else’s pee pee.  (I’m thinking I’ll use pliers in case this happens again.)
Practice. Practice. Practice. Sometimes, I Miss the Target! And I've Been Doing This for Years!

Practice, Practice, Practice. Sometimes, I Miss the Target! And I’ve Been Doing This for Years!

Gavin – 30; Honeydaddy – 19 (I’m taking the point here.  Mainly because I saved us all from getting peed on.  I’ll probably be giving the point back when we are trying this in a dirty, public bathroom…)

 

 

 

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Categories Education