Things I've Learned Along The Way...

OK, so d2 has been in potty training mode since the fall, although we have had many, many set backs along the way. One area that doesn't fall into the 'typical' training process is that he has always had no problems staying dry at night, which I had always heard was the hardest part. He mastered that pretty early but was still having issues in other areas. Just before Christmas, I made him a Sticker Chart in hopes that it would encourage him to tell us when he had to potty. You see, we could almost always get him to pee-pee in the potty when we would take him but he just wouldn't tell us and if we missed asking him, he had no problem going in his pants. His other trouble area? Pooping at school. It appears that d2 may have some modesty issues because he just would NOT poop at school. In fact, most days he would hold it all day long and then as soon as we got home, he RAN into the house and up the stairs to his lil' potty. No hugs or hellos to Daddy - he was off to take care of business (by 'dropping a big ole' snake' - his way of telling us he had to poop - thanks to D1 - always keeping it funny)! So, we are very excited to announce that he is now pooping at SCHOOL!!!! Does this mean we are fully potty trained? Nope, but we are over another hurdle and on our way. I'm so proud of my lil' guy!!

On a related note, I just want to say that this go-round with training was NOTHING like it was with d1 and I think it's good for other parents to understand because it's been a real eye-opener for us. Both D1 and I remember going through this with d1 and he was literally trained from the moment the diaper came off. We had VERY few accidents and really no struggles at all and we did start at the same age. Goes to show that not all children are the same so you really can't have expectations in times like these.

From a mom of almost three, I have some opinions on some parenting issues that I would like to share to anyone that might listen. I am definitely not the authority on parenting (I'll leave that to Dr. Dobson, a hero of mine) but over time and experience, I have learned many things along the way and here they be -

Just because things work easily for you and your child(ren) or you have well-behaved kids doesn't necessarily mean that you are SuperParent. It just means that you will struggle in other areas so GET READY!! We all do the best we can and ask God to help us with the other 99%. Before having kids, we all have visions of how it will be and then reality kicks us in the hiney and we soon realize how life really works. A few things D1 and I thought we would NEVER do as parents:

* Let TV 'babysit' my kid - on occasion, when a meal needs to be cooked or an important phone call needs to be made, you can bet that Barney, Sesame Street or The Polar Express is coming on to entertain the boys so I am confident they aren't peeing on the wall, making 911 phone calls from our cell phones, or that d1 isn't feeding d2 toothpaste from the tube (which has actually been more times than I care to admit).

*Continue shopping with a screaming child - if I am in a store (alone) and have things to purchase, I refuse to leave my cart and walk out because he's having a meltdown. No way! Before I was a parent, I remember looking at 'those' people and thinking, 'Geez, control your kid already!' Now I am 'those' people.

*Let them play video games - this is a pretty new thing for us because d1 is just now getting into them and, although we do limit his time, we do let him play, although we both said we wouldn't before he was born (at least not until he was 10). We have found how much he concentrates when playing these and it's nice to not have Ten-Second Tom who wants to play tractors for 2 minutes and then Old Maid for 2 minutes. AND it's all educational at this point - (V-Tech).

I am in a new Bible Study this spring called Creative Correction by Lisa Whelchel and it's fantastic. The best piece of advice I have learned from Lisa is this - 'My kids aren't perfect....but neither are yours. '

I also want to say that I am having an inner struggle as a Mommy on how to handle my son having his feelings hurt by other children. This is a new thing for me and I never thought it would be so difficult. I won't get into the story of what happened but just to say that I saw a look in d1's eyes that told me he was hurting. He was holding back the tears because he didn't want his friends to see him cry but I could see his pain and it KILLED me. I thought I was going to turn into Mommy-zilla and have a freak out on the other child but I restrained myself. I am not blind to the fact that d1 is every bit a 4-year-old boy and I know he can be rough and rowdy with the best of 'em but he has such a big heart and doesn't want to hurt his friends intentionally. I know this is a fact of life but I NEVER knew how hard it would be. Luckily, d1 doesn't dwell on these things very long - it's me holding the grudge and I know I need to let it go. Working on it.....


Until next time.....Happy Valentine's Day!!