Potty Training for Dummies, Like Me

I have dreaded potty training ever since I slowly started introducing the concept of the potty this summer.  JM had fought me and we have been round and round about it since this summer.

-My mom friends told me not to push it.

I tried and tried to make John Michael understand that if you're dry when you wake up in the morning, or from nap that it means you need to go on the potty!  Please?  Please? I wasn't all that concerned with him being 100% potty trained because to me, it just doesn't matter that my two year old isn't going in the potty.  We have all the time in the world to work on it.

-My mom friends told me not to push it.

I didn't read any books or magazines or anything like that.  I talked to other moms and got some pointers and then one day out of the blue before New Year's Eve, we put him on the potty after naptime and he went.  Just like that!

-I had pushed him on and off for a few months, trying to get him to understand and just at least TRY to go in the potty.

From that moment on we put him in the big boy underwear that I had bought "just in case" and he has only had 2 or 3 accidents.

-Why had I not listened when everyone told me not to push it, it will click when it's time, and he'll go when he's ready?!!

I'm so proud of him for being such a big boy!  He has made potty training so easy and not at all what I expected.  As long I remembered to take him, he would go.  We generally would go every hour and now he generally tells us when he has to go, but I'm always making sure we go a lot.  We are currently working on poop but I know he'll get the concept eventually.

-I'm glad I finally backed off and listened to my friends!

Oh yeah, and one more thing:  We finally figured out John Michael's love language: chocolate.  So yes, we trained with Mini M&Ms and he loves picking one out and he tells me the color!  He's getting to be such a big boy and we're so proud of him!  I'm hoping Matthew might be an early potty trainer since he accompanies us on each potty visit and he just loves sitting on the little potty so much!  You never know!

There have been so many mommy mistakes made by me over the last 2 1/2 years, so Mommy lesson learned: Don't push them, they'll do things when they're ready!