Sunday, March 06, 2005
The Bachelor
We've had a major bathroom breakthrough this week. It all began when I took Max to Target on Tuesday. As we were passing the baby gear aisles, I noticed the toddler potties. And that's when I had an epiphany of sorts: If I let Max choose his own potty, perhaps he would begin to use it. I don't know why this solution hadn't occured to me months ago. Given the degree to which Max tries to control, well, everything, perhaps it should have been obvious to me that allowing him to make decisions in this arena might yield results. Or maybe he just hadn't been ready until now.
In any event, Max was delighted to select his own throne. He chose a white and teal model with a yellow lid and royal blue handles. When I started to put the potty in the bathroom, Max protested. He wanted it in his bedroom, like an old-fashioned chamber pot. So that's where it went.
A few hours later, Max came running into the kitchen naked. "Mommy, I used the potty!" And indeed he had. I don't know exactly why all clothes must be removed in order to use the potty. But whatever. He used it. And he used it again. And again.
I have to allow for the possibility that Max is somewhat incentivized by the M&M's that I've promised him every time he uses the potty. If I forget, he will remind me, although hours sometimes elapse before he does. Then our conversation sounds something like this:
"Mommy, can I have some M&Ms because I used the potty?"
"Of course, Max. I'm so proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself, too. How many M&M's would you like?"
"Ten." (Max is a quick study, because initially he would only ask for three.)
"That's a lot of M&M's, Max. I think we should save some for next time."
"Okay. Five. Five is a good number."
Like most areas of human development, if Max's potty progress were charted day by day, you would not find a straight, upward-trending line. Some days he has ignored the potty altogether. Other days he has preferred to wear diapers. But we had another successful day today, and I know this because Max continued to show up naked every couple of hours. There were only a couple of minor set-backs when Max was too consumed in the backyard to bother coming inside. (Max's defense: "I'm being like a dog!")
Lee captured the magnitude of this week's developments with an insightful forecast: "When all of his girlfriends hear the news, Max will become a much more eligible bachelor."
In any event, Max was delighted to select his own throne. He chose a white and teal model with a yellow lid and royal blue handles. When I started to put the potty in the bathroom, Max protested. He wanted it in his bedroom, like an old-fashioned chamber pot. So that's where it went.
A few hours later, Max came running into the kitchen naked. "Mommy, I used the potty!" And indeed he had. I don't know exactly why all clothes must be removed in order to use the potty. But whatever. He used it. And he used it again. And again.
I have to allow for the possibility that Max is somewhat incentivized by the M&M's that I've promised him every time he uses the potty. If I forget, he will remind me, although hours sometimes elapse before he does. Then our conversation sounds something like this:
"Mommy, can I have some M&Ms because I used the potty?"
"Of course, Max. I'm so proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself, too. How many M&M's would you like?"
"Ten." (Max is a quick study, because initially he would only ask for three.)
"That's a lot of M&M's, Max. I think we should save some for next time."
"Okay. Five. Five is a good number."
Like most areas of human development, if Max's potty progress were charted day by day, you would not find a straight, upward-trending line. Some days he has ignored the potty altogether. Other days he has preferred to wear diapers. But we had another successful day today, and I know this because Max continued to show up naked every couple of hours. There were only a couple of minor set-backs when Max was too consumed in the backyard to bother coming inside. (Max's defense: "I'm being like a dog!")
Lee captured the magnitude of this week's developments with an insightful forecast: "When all of his girlfriends hear the news, Max will become a much more eligible bachelor."
1 Comments:
I hear that women do prefer men who are house-trained. There's also some weird thing about the position of the toilet seat, apparently. Though I suppose that part can wait until after he learns to keep most of his clothes on. First things first. ;-)
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