Potty Training Blues

I don't believe in the terrible two's. The two's where wonderful. The boys were discovering everything. Language, music, bugs, grass, flowers, textures, foods.... The three's... not so much. Mostly because that's when we got real serious about potty training. And of course, pooping is the only thing the kids have real control of at that age. 

We were lucky enough that Sean really wanted to go to school when he turned four. So we used that as incentive for him to go each and every time on the potty. Aidan says he doesn't want to go to school. 

So we tried bribing with candy. That worked temporarily... Then it was back to "I DON'T WANNA GO POO IN THE POTTY!!!!!" Throwing himself down on the floor, kicking and screaming. 

Then we tried saying "If you poo in the potty, you can play your brother's DS." Again, that actually worked. However, when we told him it was time to put up the DS, All H-E- double hockey sticks broke loose. So we eventually had to discontinue that bribe.

Then all of a sudden, he was going every single time in the potty. First thing he would do would be to go sit on the throne. "I got 1 poo out Mom!" He would yell. We were thrilled. Ecstatic. Our baby decided on his own to go in the potty, consistently, without us prompting him.

And then it stopped, and he would go in his brand new boxer briefs (that are just so stinking cute!!!), or his pull up when we got sick and tired of rinsing poo out of his unders.

We are now on another upswing. Hopefully he will continue to go with minimal screaming. He still does the   "I DON'T WANNA GO POO IN THE POTTY!!!!!" Routine on a regular basis. And sometimes he sits on the potty for a while, screaming his fool head off.

And then Aidan looks at me, smiles and says "I love you Mom." And all my frustration melts away.