Over the last 24 hours, little David has decided he is big now and just like that, he is potty trained. He goes to the bathroom when he needs to or lets me know to take him to one. I'm sure he might have a few accidents, but my past experience tells me it's 'his' now. Meaning he controls if and when he needs to use the bathroom. And so, this being the last child I will potty train, I wish to express my words of wisdom to those of you who are or will be going through it yourselves...



With my first child, a daughter, I was anxious to have her out of diapers by the time my next arrived. As the time for my second child to arrive drew near, I became more aggitated that she was still in diapers. I tried everything: movies (yep, they have them at the library), bribes of food or toys, pretty panties with whatever character she wanted on them, and she would have a few days of being dry, then several days of accidents. In retrospect, I realize I was potty trained, I knew when she needed to go, I urged to go into the bathroom and I expected it of her. My friends also warned me that once the next one arrived, she would regress...why? now I see that would be because I would be too busy to remember to take her when she needed. But hindsight is 20/20 vision. At the time, I got angry at my little girl, I lost my temper and would yell and storm and once, I slapped her bottom in my bottled fury. It left a red hand print. That day I was ashamed and was quietly reminded by my Father in Heaven that she was his little girl and I only had her on loan. I went to my daughter's room and watched her sleep. I heard her give a little hiccup she has after she has cried herself to sleep. I sat by her bed and held her small hand and wept, telling her how sorry I was, telling my Father in Heaven what a fool I had been. So I gave up. I put her back in diapers and told myself she could stay in them until she grew up. A few months after my son was born, she was getting dressed after bathtime and found her panties in her drawer. She asked me what they were and I explained. She potty trained within the next two weeks. She wanted to wear the underwear. She was 2-1/2. I told myself to remember, to not get angry with my son when it was his turn in a few years...but I didn't.



My son passed 2 1/2, then 3 years. I expecting my third child and again felt the need to only have one child in diapers when he/she (we didn't find out) arrived. My son had loose bowels and often soiled his diaper several times a day. Now, wetting your pants is mildly annoying, but clean up is relatively simple, but pooping your pants is gross and clean up is very involved. So three to seven times a day was no walk in the park. I felt myself get angry, he was so much older than my daughter had been. What was I doing wrong? Didn't I finally figure this out with my daughter? Even though I had told myself I wouldn't , I felt the bottled fury rise. I poured out my heart to my Heavenly Father. My dear husband intervened and took over the potty training, but eventually his patience too, was worn thin. We both gave up. My son went back into diapers. At 3-1/2, he informed me he would use the potty and within 2 weeks, he was capable of doing so by himself. Problem solved, but not by me.

So what is the moral of this story? Let your kids potty train themselves...