Who's Training Who?

The Prairie Kid is one month past his third birthday. Several weeks ago I finally succumbed to the idea that I needed to potty train my kid. I have never wanted to potty train a kid. I have no real desire to move him from diapers to the toilet. I was secretly hoping that he would figure this all out himself. The doctor reminded me at his 3 year check up that it was my job to teach this.

And then I realized that I had no idea what I was doing. I got out a book that had a great chapter on this and I decided to shoot for the "potty train your kid in one day" philosophy. Two hours into this was when The Prairie Daddy called and told me we needed to get cows off the mountain because of the wild fire. So, you can imagine how long the training lasted.

Then I decided to just work at it as The Prairie Kid was willing since our life is so unpredictable and busy. This has been a not-so-fun, but humorous none-the-less experience. Here are some stories for you to, again, be entertained at my expense:

I read somewhere that when potty training your child you yourself should hoot and holler and have a really good time while you're going to the bathroom. And then talk about how much fun it is and how babies shouldn't have this much fun, just big kids who go on the potty. I have played this up and added that only babies need diapers. Your child is then supposed to want to have fun and be a big kid and go potty on the potty. A few times now, when I have tried to get The Prairie Kid into undies he says "I just a baby, Mom, I need diapers. I just a baby!" Yeah, that one really worked.

Candy is supposed to entice a child to want to go to the potty on the potty. We have a new stash in the cabinet above the fridge and The Prairie Kid knows it is there. He also knows that when he goes potty in the potty he gets to pick one. Do you think he cares? Nope, but every time The Prairie Daddy or I go he tells us that we can have a candy!

The Prairie Kid is also having fun saying other things that I don't even know where he gets them. Lately he will be heard yelling "Holy Snoke!" (no, I didn't misspell smoke, that is how he says it) and "Holy Cow!" I have to admit he got the latter from me. He also continues to say "oop-a-daisy" because Grandma says "oops-a-daisy."

This morning he got to have a snack and he was walking around saying "Yummy! That good. I like that. That taste good. Yumm-eee!" I gave him a taste of sorghum as we made cookies and he said the same thing, "Yummmm-eee! That good! I like it!"

He has developed some very interesting excuses as well. He has a few that he uses in particular circumstances. See below.

When he doesn't want to eat or drink something the excuse is "it too spicy!" This included some water I offered him, "it too spicy!"

When he doesn't want to do something he says "it too scary!"

When he doesn't like something he says "I can't like it!"

There are precious things that he is saying as well. He has expressed some fear of the dark recently and I always tell him, "you don't have to be afraid. Jesus is always with you." This morning I heard him saying while he played "No be afraid. Jesus here. Jesus with you." And then he hollered to me, "Mom, no afraid, Mom. Jesus always here, Mom."

Last night he lost control of his enthusiasm and whopped me in the back. I had him sit against the wall. A minute later he came in to me and said, "Mommy, please fer-give me for hit you." Heart melter!

One day last week I was changing his diaper and he said "I very happy." And when I was upset the other day he said, "calm down, Mom, calm down." I told him through my tears that I was working on it. Later he said "Mommy happy now?"

There are many more fun things he has been saying but I cannot think of them right now. Hopefully I will come up with them soon and have enough for another post.