When nothing else works

Parents of small children are often experts at one thing...feeling like failures.

There is so much pressure in the world we live in for parents to be perfect, raise perfect children, and have a perfectly clean house. I actually refuse to read blogs because of how much pressure they put on parents, which is funny now that I'm writing a potty training blog.

But you know what? I'm all about taking the pressure off parents. And kids. I understand there are very real timelines, like a preschool that only accepts kids who are potty trained, but they aren't always realistic.

In all my experience potty training, no 2 kids were trained in the exact same way at the exact same time. Even twins can potty train at different rates.

I have 3 kids. My daughter, in true oldest child fashion, was completely potty trained by 25 months. My second born, a son, was mostly potty trained at 25 months then regressed a bit and had to be retrained around 27 months. My youngest is currently just about 27 months and he is consistently NOT using the potty. He just doesn't feel it before he goes. He isn't harder to potty train, but his timeline is just different. He is a very easy going guy most of the time (at home anyway, at my new job, not so much). I'm actually having to try a method I have been against for a long time to help him learn how it feels when he needs to go. I'm against any method that you have to un-teach later, but really nothing else is working so I'm giving it a try. Sometimes all the knowledge doesn't make life, or potty training, happen faster. Sometimes it just takes time.

As parents we are the experts on our children. We know them best. We know what they can handle and what they can't. That doesn't mean we always have all the answers the first time though. It means we are in a position to use some trial and error to determine the best path for them.

You are a good parent. You care about your child and about potty training. If you've been trying for get him or her potty trained for awhile and nothing is working, let me help. Maybe I can offer suggestions to break the frustrations. Or if you haven't started yet and are scared of the process let me know so I can walk you through what to expect and give you the tools to succeed.

When nothing else works, try something you wouldn't normally try. And maybe eat some chocolate.