A Morning

It is time for Blythe to be potty trained, and I have been working with her off and on for a few weeks now.  Off and on is not the best approach, but after a day's effort, I tend to get frustrated and give up.  Like yesterday.  First thing in the morning, I put a pair of panties on Blythe and sat her on the toilet.  We had several successful tries at peeing and she was rewarded with Skittles and stickers on her potty chart to work towards a big prize.  To encourage her to do even more, I sat in the bathroom with her on the toilet and me on the floor.  I read stories, I sang songs, I gave her a little computer thing she played with.  We were in the bathroom a long time.

By the time almost 45 minutes had passed, we both had sore bums and I needed to get into the shower.  I had noticed that Blythe's toenails needed to be trimmed and I knew Brandt's did too, so before I got in the shower, I tried to clip them.  Blythe was cooperative, Brandt was not.  I managed to clip two toes and then he began throwing a fit about continuing.  He started in on the yes-no-yes-no game which he used to "play" when he was younger.  He'll say that he does want something, then say he doesn't, so if you walk away, he'll throw a fit.  He went on and on about the toenails, saying he wanted me to clip them, then jerking his feet away so I couldn't.  I gave up and told him I was getting in the shower.  I went into the bathroom, locked the door, and got in the shower.  Brandt managed to open the door and came into the bathroom, threw open the shower door, and yelled at me, "I want you to trim my toenails!"  Very calmly I asked him to leave me alone until I was finished, but suggested that if he didn't leave, I would spank him.

A note here about discipline.  Sometimes I yell at my kids, but I have resolved not to do it anymore.  They are people; little people, but still people.  I don't yell at other people and certainly wouldn't like to be yelled at, so I am going to do better.  Oddly enough, however, I sometimes think my children like it when I yell at them.  They push my buttons.

So I'm in the shower, Brandt comes in, throws open the door, and I am calm.  I do not yell.  I do invite him, however, to go away or be spanked.  He again throws open the shower door and yells, "DO IT NOW!"  So I oblige and "do it now."  I leapt out of the shower, swatted him on the bum, and practically threw him out of the bathroom, all while naked and dripping wet (not a pleasant picture, I know.  Sorry.).  He continued to protest, but he didn't bother me again.

When I was finished and dressed, I came downstairs to find that Blythe had pooped in her panties, gotten into my purse and had lipstick all over her mouth, hands, and floor.  How could she have pooped in the ten minutes I was in the shower when she had been sitting on the toilet for so long?  I didn't yell, but I did put a diaper on her and gave up for the day.  Maybe we'll have more luck tomorrow--at potty training, nail trimming, and not yelling.