She's whiny and crying and insolent. I'm seething with barely restrained impatience and annoyance. We fight crime!

Pitch it to a TV network! Oh, wait, we already had Moonlighting.

She's whiny and crying and insolent. I'm seething with barely restrained impatience and annoyance. We fight crime!

MM, I can so relate. My biggest fear right now is that we're going to have to delay preschool because of potty issues and the boy will drive me right to the razor's edge of insanity.

I hope today is better. We're going to Toddler Zone.

potty issues

I got Em "Once Upon a Potty" and "Big Girls Use the Potty" last week. The "Big Girls" book comes with a chart and reward stickers. I tried it last night and damned if it didn't work! We gave Em a sticker for trying and then about an hour later I said, "Do you want another sticker?" She of course started bouncing and yelling, "TICKER TICKER TICKER!" so I said, "Why don't you do downstairs, use the potty, and we'll put a sticker on the chart?"

Ten minutes later, Joe comes up and shows me the chart with the pink star sticker in place. Em had used the potty all by herself and then went and told Joe so that she could get her sticker.

So, yay small triumph!

Potty training is the worst, thus far IMHO. People ask me if she's potty trained and I feel like such a horrible parent when I tell them she's not. And it kills me because I *know* that the process usually doesn't start until 24 - 27 months and that Em is doing ok and there are extenuating circumstances to her not being potty trained and that she's not gonna still be wearing Pull Ups in Kidnergarten, but god I hate that she's not totally potty trained. Pull Ups = Failure it feels like sometimes.

I was three before I was potty trained and my sisters got good teasing mileage from that fact for years until a cousin took longer. I have no children and no experience, but from where I'm looking in at your world of toddler-having, it seems like this is something they have to agree to. And I do know how difficult it can be to get a kid to agree to anything. Stubborn little creatures!

I get to go on a field trip today to the Society of the Cincinnati Library, if no one comes into my office with a crisis to prevent it.

meara, where are you going in Maine? (Signed, Mom is from Vinalhaven)

it seems like this is something they have to agree to. And I do know how difficult it can be to get a kid to agree to anything. Stubborn little creatures!

Oh totally. If they don't wanna, and you push, it could fuck the whole process even worse. But for some parents, it's this wierd measurement of success. Like "When did your daughter start on solids?" or "When did your son start walking?" It's the milestones game all over, but now with Cool Alert and Learning Designs!

Aims, insent

But for some parents, it's this wierd measurement of success. Like "When did your daughter start on solids?" or "When did your son start walking?"

"Is your daughter potty-trained yet?"

"No...but she made her first bare-handed kill at only 17 months!"

I guess my point is, I don't blame the parents. I don't think one kid is smarter than another. I think, "Crazy kid who doesn't want to get rid of carrying around a soggy mess on his/her bottom!" I know every parent would get rid of the diapers as soon as possible, because they are (mostly) more rational than a toddler.

"Is your daughter potty-trained yet?"

"No...but she made her first bare-handed kill at only 17 months!"

I like this answer. I'm trying to be zen about it but it's really hard. I've got every potty book there is. I ask him when he's most pliable (about 4 seconds out of every day) and he just says, "No! No pee in the potty!" "NO SIT ON THE POTTY!"

I've bought mini M&M's by the pound, purchased a box full of Transformers (which sit on top of the fridge) waiting for him to go. He asks for the Transformers and when I say, "They're for when you sit on the potty" he says, "NO SIT ON THE POTTY!"

My apologies to non-parents in the thread but I'm reaching wits end considering school starts three weeks from today and we haven't had a single successful attempt.

We know your pain, Cash. Last night with the sticker-thing Aimee talked about, it was like the gods smiled upon us and light shone from the top of Olympus and we were blessed.

This morning it was more like: "Emeline, want another sticker?"

"'ticker, 'ticker, 'ticker!! Yeah! Woohoo!" (This is a direct quote.)

"Okay, let's go to the potty!!"

"NNNNOOOO!!!" (general freak out, tantrum, throws self on floor) "NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Goddamned fickle kids.