Two reasons for this title. One is that I have already potty trained a child, so now that I am potty training a second child I am potty training, again.
The other reason is that Sam was potty trained when we adopted him…sort of, in a Chinese kind of way. Now I am just doing it again.
Sam wore split pants when he was in China (pants that were open or split between the legs from just below the front waist band to front to back). When he needed to go to the bathroom he would simply squat and go. This is totally acceptable out on the streets of China, but not so much in 5 star hotel rooms, airports, and airplanes.
My only alternatives were to potty train him to western standards while still in China or diaper that adorable little tushy. I chose the later. I mean the poor child was traumatized enough. He didn’t need the crazy Caucasian lady forcing him to sit on a big bowl of water that threatened to suck him down with every flush.
Sam quickly adjusted to diapers, although he was never a fan of them. I, on the other hand, love them. Never a need to sprint to a bathroom so my kid can pee. Never a need to carry extra clothes in case of an accident. No getting a cute, but energetic child dressed and undressed umpteen times a day.
Nope. Just diaper the bottom and you are good to go. As long as you change them periodically, diapers are carefree living, baby.
Potty training is work.
You have to teach technique. You have to cheer for bodily fluids (and solids). You have to take your kid to the bathroom every.single.hour. where said child insists on stripping off every.last.garment. in order to use the facilities.
Ugh. It’s just tiring.
So I used every excuse in the book to avoid it. Surgeries, vacations, summertime, the phase of the moon, the alignment of the planets. All were reasons not to potty train my sweet boy.
It finally got to a point where I was out of excuses and Sam was tired of diapers. Although he accepted them, he never adjusted to them. Anytime Sam needed to relieve himself he’d find me, make me hold his two little hands, then squat like he learned in China—except instead of going on the ground he’d go in his diaper.
Sam knew when he needed to ‘go’ since the day we adopted him, he just needed to learn where to go. So we finally embarked on the great potty training adventure, again.
With as much as I procrastinated, I am embarrassed to admit how easy it was.
Step One: Introduce the big boy pants.
This part was easy!
Sam loved his new big boy pants so much that he was jumping for joy.
Step Two: Introduce to Potty
Since Sam already knew when he needed to go, the change in where he needed to go was pretty easy, too.
He gets it.
He is happy to be done with diapers.
And because it was so effortless on my part, I am happy too. Why the heck did I put it off so long? Buh Bye Diapers!
Hooray Sam! You’re a big boy now! You’ve joined your big sis in the Land of Underwear!
UPDATE 10/9/2012: Sam really was that easy to potty train, again. Literally a day was all that it took. Now he takes care of business all by himself most days, including the dressing and undressing part. (He still insists on getting naked from the waist down, including his socks. But he happily puts everything back on, so I’m good with it.)
Being potty trained throughout the day is one thing, but nights are sometimes a different story.
I kept Sam in a diaper at night even after he was trained for the day. For the first few nights he woke wet, but after that it has been nothing but dry. When we finally ran out of diapers he switched over to big boy pants for nighttime and has never looked back.
Hate me if you want, but I am giddy with how easy this child is to raise! Love you, my sweet boy!
