Potty training...easy. Sort of. I knew Amelia understood the concept of potty training a long time ago...she just never presented an "emotional readiness" if you will. I knew well enough not to push the little one in this regard...the more pushing the more chances for her to resist, and resist she did. So, one day, I simply told her I spoke to Elsa's mommy (my good friend Elizabeth in TN) who said Elsa only wears underpants...no more diapers! Well, for some reason, on this particular day, this was enough. Not only was she so excited for Elsa, but she too only wanted to wear underpants. She ran to her room, picked a pair out of her bottom drawer, and has been wearing them ever since. Now, she doesn't want to wear anything but underpants which now presents a bit of a struggle when I have to put a diaper on her to sleep in. How confusing, we make a big deal about "no more diapers! Yeah! No more diapers!" but then still make them wear them at nap and bedtime. She actually cries to wear her underpants during these times...the irony. Oh, and get this, she won't poop in the potty yet, so she does request a diaper for this activity. Her resistance to pooping on the potty and the love of the underpants means she's figured out how to hold it. Not good. So now there's that.
We're just going with it, as I've learned, things will be different if you give it a week.
Now let me just say that public bathrooms present a whole new bag of issues. Most of us agree that most public bathrooms are disgusto. They are. Ford took Amelia to the bookstore and brought along her fold-up potty seat (sits on-top of big potties to keep little butts from falling in, plus the don't have to touch the seat...great invention). She felt the urge while reading books, told her Dad, and headed for the bathroom. He set her on the potty seat, she tinkled and they cheered (first time in a public bathroom cheer). Then she said, "I don't want to flush that one". We laughed later about this thinking she too thought the mens' public bathroom was disgusting. Turns out, there was a different reason....
Today, while at the mall, she had to "tinkle." I took her to the rather clean Macy's bathroom and set her on her potty seat. She did the tinkle while I held her up. She said repeatedly with conviction that she did not want to flush that one. I said okay, assured her she didn't have to and said that I would flush it for her. Then she said, "no, don't flush it, mommy, it scares me." Then I realized, how intimidating that big loud potty must be to her little 2 1/2 year old self. I mean, really, when flushed, those public toilets are unnecessarily loud, fast and forceful. At times, even swirling whooshing water out of the bowl, splashing droplets of cold toilet water out and onto our clothing, purses, even foreheads...and without warning. You know it's happened to you. And you know you've flushed with your tip of your shoe, turned your head away from the bowl, and then made a dash for the stall door as to avoid any chance off this happening. Now imagine being 2 1/2 in that scene. You'd be scared too.
So, we left it. No flushing. We washed our hands and met Ford in the hallway. He hugged her, told her he was proud of her. She told him she didn't flush it and asked him if he wanted to see it. He explained he couldn't see that particular tinkle due to the fact that that potty was only for girls. Again, confused. Just then a nice lady walked out of the girls bathroom where we had just been, and Amelia looked up at her and asked...
"Did YOU flush it?"
