On Second Thought...




Behold!
Potty training in the 21st century.
Yes, I bribe my kid with apps. 



We have a plastic placemat with the faces of all the presidents on it, at least half of which my child, Owen, can positively identify.  He uses terms like cumulonimbus to describe storm clouds, and he can sing almost all of the lyrics to Queen's The Muppet's version of Bohemian Rhapsody.  He navigates my Nook like a pro when he wants to read books, draw pictures, or put together virtual puzzles.  He's a pretty sharp kid, so it's no wonder I expected him to pee on the potty on his first try, poop on the potty on his second try, and be completely done with diapers by the end of day one. 

Before you start feeling sorry for the poor, put-upon child of an impatient, Type A, achievement-oriented mom, please realize I'm exaggerating about my expectations (a little).  What I did expect was to have a few more actual pee-in-potty successes this week, but that just didn't happen.  Not because of lack of trying, though!  I spent more time than any person should, sitting on our bathroom floor playing games, urging Owen to try to go, and hoping that one of the many accidents that I systematically cleaned up off the floor this week would magically occur during potty game time.  Again, no such luck. 

So, that leads me to the conclusion that the kid isn't going to do it until he does it on his own terms. Yes, that's the EXACT same advice that every seasoned veteran gave me when I mentioned my intention of embarking on this toilet adventure, but MY kid can point out James K. Polk on a presidential placemat, so naturally I filed said advice away in the "Thanks, But No Thanks" portion of my brain.  You know, for future reference...Because I, too, like to do things on my own terms. 

So, here's what Potty Week One taught us:

1.  Owen enjoys the idea of being a big boy.  Big boy underpants are way cool. 

2.  He is slow to warm up to all new experiences, and potty training is no exception.

3.  He's a private kid, so letting him run around naked, or sitting with him in the bathroom for that matter, aren't going to be techniques I employ in the future.

4.  Owen might look like a carbon copy of his dad, but boy he sure does act a lot like his mom sometimes.