The Joy, The Pain, The Triumph.....Of Potty Training

I've always been in awe of my daughter, as a first time parent, that's pretty normal.  Then I've noticed that everyone that meets her is also quite in awe at her, simply because she's so......."bright".  She has this amazingly large personality and speaks more than most 4 year olds that I know.

So at first meeting people are head over heels, then they ask....."Is she potty trained?"-as if she's a puppy that I'm teaching new tricks.  When my reply is....."We're working on it" their response is usually filled with a bit less magic then their initial awe with her.

Potty training is a HARD thing to do. I thought that getting my bright, personality filled child to use the bathroom would be an easy task.  I was wrong.  The child would come to me proud as can be and announce that she had filled her diaper/pull-up with some horrible substance that I would have to clean.  Other times she would disappear with it, never to be found until a foul odor would come knocking at my nose- then to find that she has a rash as a result of sitting in it-  THEN she would announce-  "I think I have a rash".  A child that can clearly state that they "think they have a rash" should be capable of using the toilet when they need to.

I've tried it all.....

Having her go bare bottomed only increased the time I spent cleaning the carpet.

Buying "cool alert" pull-ups that get cold when the child "goes" simply increased kept her standing instead of sitting and upped our diaper budget.

Praising her with niceties only made her feel that every bodily function should be praised the same way(not exactly the behavior I want for my little girl)

I changed to rewarding her going to the potty with stickers, and something clicked.....until I noticed her going into the bathroom, waiting a few moments, flushing and washing her hands- so she could ask for a sticker.

I finally gave up and decided that I'm simply doomed to buy pull ups for the rest of our lives and have to hear over and over again, "Jasmine is too smart to not be potty trained".  Until this past weekend, that is.

I woke up to my daughter telling me, "Mommy, I need to use the toilet".  Since then, she's been going, ALL BY HERSELF!  After giving up on the hopes of never having to change a diaper again, you can only imagine my shock.

Now she's away with my mother and has been quite dilligent in going to bathroom when she needs to.  Only requiring 1 or 2 pull ups per day for naps and overnight.

I'm still in awe.