1 Mother 2 Another

As you’ve seen from my blogs over
the past months, Maddie’s been showing a cautious interest in
potty training. We’ve got a training potty in the bathroom
and she enjoys going in and sitting on it while Mommy sits on the
“grown-up potty”, and will occasionally request a
diaper change, but that’s about it. We’re not anxious
to push for potty training since we’re pretty sure
she’d regress as soon as baby sister arrives, so we’re
letting her take her time with this.


We did, though, recently have another minor victory in the process.
She’s always been a toddler who needs to poop away from other
people – Maddie’s spent several months going to a
corner or telling you to “go away” if she is pooping.
For the past week or so, though, she’s been covering her eyes
as if to make herself invisible to everyone. A couple nights ago,
my husband had a moment of divine inspiration during such a
scene.

“Maddie,” he asked my
self-blindfolded daughter, “Do you need to go poopy and you
don’t want anyone to watch?”


“Yeah.”


“You know, when grown ups need to poopy and want some
privacy, they go into the bathroom where no one can see them. Do
you want to go into the bathroom for a moment?”


“Yeah.”


Sure enough, she ran into the bathroom and came out a few moments
later with a full diaper. Success!


Ever since then, if she covers her eyes, we simply suggest the
bathroom and she happily runs in. Her most recent poopy she even
went one better: As she started to cover her eyes, I said,
“Do you need to go poopy?” “Maddie go
bathroom!” she announced as she ran in. Then there was a
pause.


“Mommy! Light please!”


I came in, turned on the light, and was promptly told, “Mommy
go now.” As I walked out, she partially shut the door for
some real privacy. A few moments later, she came running out, happy
as a clam, shouting, “Thank you!” as she ran fragrantly
by.


I’m not saying she’s ready to drop her trousers, but
it’s a start. And it’s the sort of thing that makes a
good entry – cute now, and embarrassing ten years from
now.