So, we're in the midst of potty training. I can't even say we're in the middle of potty training because honestly, the end is nowhere in sight as far as I can tell. And I'm pretty sure the whole process is going to break me as nothing has broken me before.
The eldest just turned 3. I tried to potty train several months ago and it just didn't take. I've heard countless other parents say the kid will just tell you when s/he's ready to train, so I thought I'd give it a go. Well, I simply don't have the patience to wait for my uber stubborn child to tell me she's ready to potty train, so once school was out for the year, I decided to give it another go. And we're still in the process.
I've tried positive reinforcement. I've tried negative reinforcement. I've put her on the potty every hour. I've told her it's her "job" to tell me when she has to go potty. I've tried charts and bribery and secret treats and...and...and. Just this evening we were supposed to go over to a friend's house to play. Well, Little Miss decided to go potty in her pull up, as she was sitting next to me, so I decided to tow the line and be a hard ass. No play date. That's it.
Yeah, guess who's regretting towing the line right now?
Monday, July 20, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
A LONG Year
As you know, the girls are very close in age. Exactly 13 months to the day. There are days this is a good thing and there are days I wish they were further apart in age.
My oldest just turned 3 this past week. Now, you've all heard tales of the Terrible Twos. Abby didn't really have those. But about 3 weeks ago, she really started to turn that around...apparently rather than the Terrible 2s, she's gonna go for the gusto and give me a run for my money with the 3s. And what should I expect with this lovely age? Apparently, I can expect a lot of grunting and pointing (from a child who can easily speak in complete sentences), a level of stubbornness I didn't know a 3-year old could pull off (I blame her father), tears at the drop of a hat (because I asked her to take her shorts off or something else along those horrible lines) and the screaming temper tantrums that will most likely peel the paint off my circa 1880s walls. Should be a fun year.
My youngest (for the moment) turns 2 in a few mores weeks. And I have the sneaking suspicion that she will be the one who treats me to the mythical Terrible 2s. I sense that she will feed off her sister's current behavior anomalies and hit me with her version. Lately, she thinks it's super funny to bite! Good times. The really terrible thing is, it is sort of funny. And, of course, it's the kiss of death when you laugh when the child does something that's very wrong but very funny at the same time. Because this kid knows funny and once she has an audience, boy, does she run with it. Trouble, I tell you!
So, it could be a long year. I know everyone gets them. People tell me that years 4-7 are pretty good, as far as the kids are concerned. I'm looking forward to those years. But I'm also sort of looking forward to these years. As rotten as the girls can be on a daily basis, and as obscenely tired as I can be at the end of the day, I find all their quirks absolutely fascinating. These are the things that will turn them into who they're going to be in the long run. I think it's a pretty safe bet that the little one won't be biting people when she's 18 and the older one most likely won't be screaming unless there's a very good reason. If my eardrums and sanity can take it, and given the fact that I've been pregnant and given birth twice there's a pretty good chance of that happening, I think the road ahead, though bound to be wicked bumpy at times, should be a pretty good one.
My oldest just turned 3 this past week. Now, you've all heard tales of the Terrible Twos. Abby didn't really have those. But about 3 weeks ago, she really started to turn that around...apparently rather than the Terrible 2s, she's gonna go for the gusto and give me a run for my money with the 3s. And what should I expect with this lovely age? Apparently, I can expect a lot of grunting and pointing (from a child who can easily speak in complete sentences), a level of stubbornness I didn't know a 3-year old could pull off (I blame her father), tears at the drop of a hat (because I asked her to take her shorts off or something else along those horrible lines) and the screaming temper tantrums that will most likely peel the paint off my circa 1880s walls. Should be a fun year.
My youngest (for the moment) turns 2 in a few mores weeks. And I have the sneaking suspicion that she will be the one who treats me to the mythical Terrible 2s. I sense that she will feed off her sister's current behavior anomalies and hit me with her version. Lately, she thinks it's super funny to bite! Good times. The really terrible thing is, it is sort of funny. And, of course, it's the kiss of death when you laugh when the child does something that's very wrong but very funny at the same time. Because this kid knows funny and once she has an audience, boy, does she run with it. Trouble, I tell you!
So, it could be a long year. I know everyone gets them. People tell me that years 4-7 are pretty good, as far as the kids are concerned. I'm looking forward to those years. But I'm also sort of looking forward to these years. As rotten as the girls can be on a daily basis, and as obscenely tired as I can be at the end of the day, I find all their quirks absolutely fascinating. These are the things that will turn them into who they're going to be in the long run. I think it's a pretty safe bet that the little one won't be biting people when she's 18 and the older one most likely won't be screaming unless there's a very good reason. If my eardrums and sanity can take it, and given the fact that I've been pregnant and given birth twice there's a pretty good chance of that happening, I think the road ahead, though bound to be wicked bumpy at times, should be a pretty good one.
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