I woke up today determined to potty train my son.
It’s 94 degrees outside with 150% humidity. I feel guilty keeping the boys inside all day, but on the other hand, I don’t want their little faces to melt off their skull. But if we’re potty training Zeke, we HAVE to stay inside the air-conditioned house to be close to the potty, right? And if I can actually get him to go on the potty, I’ll have this huge sense of accomplishment instead of the overwhelming guilt of keeping the boys under house arrest.
I made a trail of M&Ms on the floor leading up to the potty. (Hey, it worked on E.T.) When Zeke ate his way up to the potty he found me sitting next to it with a hand full of the magic morsels. I excitedly explained to him that if he sat on the potty he would get more. “OK, Mommy” he sighed. He knew he was powerless against his M&M addiction.
He sat on the potty and I immediately popped a few into his mouth. “Mmmmm, dat good. More, pease.” I picked up his favorite “ABC” book and started to read. It worked. He was engrossed in the story. Half way through he looked up with a confused look on his face. Then he looked down.
“Mommy….?”
{gasp!} “Zekey! You’re going wee-wee! That’s wee-wee! Zekey’s going wee-wee in the potty! Hooray! Nate, come look…Zekey’s going wee-wee on the Potty.”
“Mommy, does this mean I have to do the dance?”
{through clenched teeth} “Yes, Nate…and you have to do it with a smile.”
{exasperated sigh} “Ohhhh…OK…”
And we danced. The silliest, over-the-top, worse-than-your-drunk-uncle-at-a-wedding kind of dance. And we sang at the top of our lungs: “Zekey went wee-wee on the potty….!”
Later, when Daddy came home we got to tell the story of how Zekey went wee-wee on the potty.
“Zekey…let’s show Daddy how you can go wee-wee on the potty!”
“NO!”
“Zeke…Daddy wants to see you go on the potty.”
“NOOOOOOO!”
“I have M&Ms…”
“OK, Mommy.”
He sat on the potty and we all hovered over him….watching. Mark started getting antsy:
“We’re gonna give the poor kid a complex…or a weird fetish.”
Nate put his hand up to Mark and said, “Shhhhhhh…” and pointed to Zeke.
“Wait for it….wait for it….”
No Comments “Years of dance class & I’m doing the “Celebratory Wee-Wee Dance””
Oh… the memories. I bought M&Ms by the case when I was training Nik and Alex. It is such a magical time of their lives and you have it all on film to blackmail… I mean to remember it by.
I love your photos and the captions. I also know the “Happy Potty Dance.”
Hope you all have a great weekend.
Oh my gosh…does that bring memories flooding back to me! I remember those days as being stressful…and funny at the same time. Finally all the stress and energy turned out to be a success story!
Thanks for sharing such a cute story!!
Thanks, Lorie and Rita. I don’t want to wish my son’s life away…BUT…I am looking forward to having potty training part of MY memory bank! Thanks for commiserating with me.
I so wish my little guy (just 3) would take bribe of M&M’s. I have tried them, stickers, toys and even CASH! The kid wants nothing to do with it. May have to see if big brother and I can read to him on there and do our own version of the “Wee-Wee” dance. I was just spoiled and my big kid was almost potty trained before he was two at daycare in days. May the potty training fairy work well at your house with Zeke and come here to grant me some patience.
I’m overjoyed at our progress. I can only give credit to sibling rivalry. Zeke wants to do everything Nate does, so I made sure he was able to watch Nate and make a big deal over him. The M&Ms are to lure him away from toys during the day. Just like their father, they would rather wear a diaper than pull themselves away from toys/tv! Good luck! Let me know how it’s going.
In ET they used Reece’s Pieces 🙂 Love you! Amber
The ONLY other person that noticed that was Mark. You two will be the death of me.
Hey Maryellen! I’m going through the same thing (times two). Megan sees her brothers, and she just wants to stand and pee. M&M’s are great, although even now when Jack (who’s nine) has to pee he gets a chocolate craving – go figure!
And that is your new joke for Cloe! I miss you!
Hey Lady, Boy those boys are gettin’ big. Please tell Nate that Chanelle, Jazmine and I are very proud of him .