Another adventure

"It's raining pee." Glen says as I walk in.  He has somehow managed to pee all over the floor, his pants, even in his hair, and hardly any made it in the toilet even though that is where he was sitting.  Only a boy.  This would explain the other two accidents this morning.  I couldn't figure it out because he was sitting on the toilet at the time.  Now I understand.
Here is yet another example of why a great sense of humor is necessary as a parent.  I am already laughing about this.  :)

Another Potty Training Adventure

                                     

The adventures of potty training.
So I had a neighbor over--your thinking "Oh no!" all ready aren't you?  :)  So I had a neighbor over helping me try to figure out my sewing machine.  We were in my bedroom and the kids were playing well in the living room.  Then Glen ran past my room to the bathroom saying he needed to go.  I turned on the light and went back to my room to help figure out what was wrong with my machine.  I heard some noises and told Glen not to play "I'm not he yells back."  I thought nothing of it.
Later I have to go to the bathroom myself, like I have to go now, and so I run in and the toilet is totally full of toilet paper.  He had put the whole roll--the whole new roll-- into the toilet and if I tried to flush it would cause problems.  But I really had to go so I ran upstairs yelling on my way for the neighbor kid to watch my boys.  Then I had to come back down and scoop it out.  Fun that.  Go ahead and laugh now, I was.  I actually thought it was pretty funny.  See, having a good sense of humor really does help my kids to live longer lives. :D

Potty Training

Ask me 6 months ago how I feel about potty training and I may have cried, screamed, or taken on a look of sheer terror. But today I can say that i am thankful for potty training.  i have tried so many times with Glen I was ready to give up until he was 16, but after praying about it, again, I felt like I should give it another go.  It was time.  After the first night I was ready to give up again, he just wasn't having any of it.  But I knew the time was right and I muddled through.  Monday morning he pooped twice on his own and after my huge celebratory dance he decided he was potty trained.  Since then it has been pretty easy.  My Glen is so stubborn some times he makes his daddy look easy going.  These Hansens have some serious stubbornness going on.  But Now that Glen has decided he is potty trained he is doing it just fine.  He has know how for almost a year, but he just wouldn't.  You cannot force a child in anything, control is an illusion.  I taught him what to do and how to do it and then needed to wait for him to decide that he was ready.
Today, after a nearly perfect day with him in underwear I can say that I am grateful for potty training.  I do not miss changing his diapers in the LEAST!  Now if only I can get Benjamin to be potty trained too I can kiss diapers good bye for a while.  Unfortunately I do not think Benjamin is ready at all yet so i an stuck with diapers, but Glen, oh Glen.  He may not have it perfect yet, but by his attitude i know he is not going to dig in his heels and quite like he has done every other time, and this mean that with work we will succeed and his in not going back to diapers.  Celebrate!  Thank goodness for potty training.

Milestones

Babies are born to learn. From day one they absorb all around them, they take it all in and they start learning. Baby discovers hands and feet, rolls over, says mama dada, sits up, crawls, walks, talks, there are so many milestones. Babies learn so fast and so much. Hang in there, this soon ties into my potty training adventure.

There are things that we can do to help our baby reach each milestone. I read with my kids, help them learn to use heir muscles, show them how to roll over, teach them to say words correctly, and give lots of encouragement. Kids for the most part follow this pattern, we will use Glen learning to walk. He learned to stand, then he took a step. But after his first step he didn't just take off and walk. He fell. He tried again later and here and there he took a step. Then a he took two or three steps at a time. I had no control over how much he walked or how fast he learned. He just did it.

Well I have come to realize that potty training is the same way. Eventually kids learn to use the toilet. I have no control over how fast he reaches this next mile stone. I can show him how to sit on the toilet, pull his pants up and down, wash his hands, and try to help and encourage him, but he will get it on his own. Glen learned to walk and speak very early, and some kids potty train early. Mile stones happen when they happen and all we can do is help prepare our children.

Parents being in control is an illusion really, more on that later, all I can do is give him encouragement and wait for him to reach that next milestone.