Disclaimer: Ok. I promise you, this will be the only time that I talk about potty training on my blog. It's a subject that no non-parent really wants to read about. It's a prerequisite of every parenting blog, though, isn't it? And it was mildly amusing. Well, it was if you were there at the time.
We're not really potty training yet. It's taken several months to persuade Abigail to sit on the wretched thing - it used to scare her. Perhaps she thought it was going to swallow her, bottom first. Anyway, she now sits on it and counts to 10, before and after her bath. This does marvels for her counting ability,but so far not much for actually using the potty.
A couple of nights ago, TheRev had the foresight to get her on the potty just as she was starting to, ah, bear down. So for the first time, something actually went into the potty that wasn't a book, a teddy or a stolen piece of my jewellery. As a result, I did a little dance and song and fed her chocolate. Apparently this conventional first-potty-success ceremony was a mistake. This evening:
Me: Abi, ready to sit on the potty?
Abi: (sitting down) Chocolate.
Me: Oh. Um, no, that's for when you do a poo on the potty. Not just for sitting.
Abi: Chocolate?
Me: (Realising that we've never actually discussed this with her) No sweetie, you have to do a poo, like before, remember? That's why I gave...
Abi: *grunting noises* No poo. Chocolate?
Me: (Abandoning all plans and principles) Or a wee? I'll give you chocolate for a wee too.
Abi: I finished. Chocolate?
Me: But there still isn't actually anything in the potty, darling. Do you want your nappy back on?
Abi: No. Chocolate.
Me: (At this point I am mentally scrabbling through the kitchen cupboard to work out whether I have anything that even slightly resembles chocolate, and drawing a blank, because shopping day is tomorrow) But...you have to do a poo first. Or a wee.
Abi: (sitting back down, sweetly) Go and find some chocolate to me, and I do a wee.
(She didn't)
Marvellous. Pretty much her first use of a conditional clause, and it's to bribe Mummy for chocolate. What an excellent job I'm doing of this whole parenting thing.
We're not really potty training yet. It's taken several months to persuade Abigail to sit on the wretched thing - it used to scare her. Perhaps she thought it was going to swallow her, bottom first. Anyway, she now sits on it and counts to 10, before and after her bath. This does marvels for her counting ability,but so far not much for actually using the potty.
A couple of nights ago, TheRev had the foresight to get her on the potty just as she was starting to, ah, bear down. So for the first time, something actually went into the potty that wasn't a book, a teddy or a stolen piece of my jewellery. As a result, I did a little dance and song and fed her chocolate. Apparently this conventional first-potty-success ceremony was a mistake. This evening:
Me: Abi, ready to sit on the potty?
Abi: (sitting down) Chocolate.
Me: Oh. Um, no, that's for when you do a poo on the potty. Not just for sitting.
Abi: Chocolate?
Me: (Realising that we've never actually discussed this with her) No sweetie, you have to do a poo, like before, remember? That's why I gave...
Abi: *grunting noises* No poo. Chocolate?
Me: (Abandoning all plans and principles) Or a wee? I'll give you chocolate for a wee too.
Abi: I finished. Chocolate?
Me: But there still isn't actually anything in the potty, darling. Do you want your nappy back on?
Abi: No. Chocolate.
Me: (At this point I am mentally scrabbling through the kitchen cupboard to work out whether I have anything that even slightly resembles chocolate, and drawing a blank, because shopping day is tomorrow) But...you have to do a poo first. Or a wee.
Abi: (sitting back down, sweetly) Go and find some chocolate to me, and I do a wee.
(She didn't)
Marvellous. Pretty much her first use of a conditional clause, and it's to bribe Mummy for chocolate. What an excellent job I'm doing of this whole parenting thing.
1 comment:
That is funny :)
Also, took me two readings to realise you meant "scrabbling through the cupboard, in my mind" rather than "crazily scrabbling through the cupboard" :)
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