I learn something new EVERY DAY...

Today has been a learning experience in my house.  I have learned that 2nd graders can be very sensitive & competitive--teaching life lessons is HARD & it's heartwrenching to look at those big blue eyes with the gigantic tears and the only thing I can say is, "Sometimes that's just the way life is."  I learned that a full day of school for a 5 year old is almost too much for her to handle & by the end of even a short week, we're bound to have a meltdown or seven.  And most importantly, I learned that potty training the boy really IS Daddy's job. 

Today I decided that I'm not fighting with our almost 3 year old son to MAKE him sit on the potty--when he's ready, he'll be ready.  I talked to him before his nap, knowing that as soon as I put on his clean pull up he would go poop, and asked him if he likes to go potty in his pants.  He said yes.  I asked him if he wants to wear big boy underwear like his sisters wear big girl panties and he said, "No, I be alright Momma."  He's the third kid...when he shows up at Kindergarten and his friends aren't wearing pullups he'll get the idea and it'll all be good.  BUT, when Joel got home today and I told him his boy hadn't had a poopy yet today, I warned him to listen for him waking from his nap and snag him right away or he'll make his mess and THEN let us know he wants to get up.  And I retreated to my office to do some work.

When I came out awhile later I walked into the living room to find my 2 guys sitting side by side on the couch...Joel with his laptop and Jamison in ONLY a tshirt...watching Oswald.  Now, I know, I know...this is the way A did it with his kid and this is the way J did it with her kid--just let them be naked, they'll learn faster...yeah, yeah, yeah.  But when you walk into your living room and see your 2 year old in all his glory sprawled on your family room COUCH???  Really?  This is the way it goes, huh?  Joel understood my look with no words and just smiled, "See, now he won't be able to poop in his pants!"  To which my immediate response was, "and he better not poop on my COUCH!"  Jamison perked up at the poop talk and chimed in, "no, Momma...you would pank me if I poop on your couch!"  (And let me just add here--for those of you who might be concerned--his "pankings" are mere pats on his backside and nothing to get in a tissy over when they DO happen, so please don't let me mislead you to believing that I beat my children.)  I left the child in his Daddy's care and ran an errand.  Not gone 10 minutes when I get a text that the boy had ASKED to go potty! 

Fast forward about 7 hours--1 breakdown of a sensitive 7 yr old, 1 meltdown of an overtired 5 yr old and 3 trips to the potty ON HIS OWN later, we have had a successful potty night for our almost 3 yr old and everyone is sound asleep in bed.   I am doing everything in my power to get over coming home to seeing him laying BELLY DOWN on my couch in all his bareness & watching him run around the house free as a bird.  I drew the line at dinner--I mean, seriously, he walked up to the dinner table wearing a crown his sister made at school, a tshirt, a beaded necklace & firetruck slippers on his feet (and yes, the light on top lights up when he walks).  He was required to grab shorts, tho he did go commando under them.  BUT, it seems that Daddy is onto something.  Luckily he's home for a few days and can take on this project for himself...it's amazing at my age how many new things you can learn every single day, right in your very own home!  Stay tuned for potty training progress....