the one about the potty

Today I'm so proud of my little two year old. For the past year now, I've been asking him if he'd like to try conducting his business on the potty, to which he'd emphatically answer, "No". One time, about six months ago, he did dump in the potty. But it was an accident, and it literally scared the shit out of him! Since then, he's VERY particular about asking for a diaper every time he wants to go.
This morning, he suddenly stopped doing his puzzle and asked for his diaper. I said no, he screwed up his face, I stuck to my guns, trying to sense how much to push. He insisted, but my gut told me to hold out some more. I pulled out another weapon. I tempted him with a story about a tiger from a book I only keep in the toilet. His grey eyes lit up, and he ran to the toilet. First set- Mama!
Now we were on the potty. By now I know that that counts for nothing. Minutes could go by with no results. Minutes that seem like hours... So every few seconds I reminded him to try... All this during my highly animated story of the little tiger. He looked at me. Grey eyes appraising... I told him he could use the toilet paper. He smiled. A little pee, some gas... Second set- Mama!
Then he looked up at me. Big trusting liquid eyes. "Mama, please hold me tight." I did. I held my precious boy close. And he crossed a milestone... Game, set and match- Mama! After he was done and washed, I kissed the top of his tousled head and told him how proud of him I was. He ran off, the moment passed, and I was left wondering at how something I was so concerned about could mean so little to him. Potty training... there are chapters devoted to it...
My point is, fellow mothers, these things are natural. Time and Mother Nature takes care of it. All we have to do is nudge a little, and love a lot... And not pay heed to other moms who proudly say "oh my baby was potty trained at 9mths". After all, this little fact of life does not appear on ones resume, does it?
Not that I'm saying everything on a resume is important... But that another time...  

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