Friday, April 17, 2009

Has it been this hard for anyone else?

Micah has been frustrating the crap out of me these last few days! Is it really this hard to be the mother of a two-and-a-half year old? I have been praying for more patience lately since that's what I feel I need more of. I have learned the importance of taking "mommy time-outs", a few minutes to regroup and refocus. It's a good thing for both me and the kids. As frustrated as I get sometimes, I don't want to take my anger out on the kids; I need to still be a good example. But even that isn't easy. I'm trying to teach Micah to listen to Chris and I and do as he's told. That is still a work in progress. I'm also trying to make potty training a positive and encouraging experience. Micah gets to put one sticker on his rubber ducky for a pee pee and two stickers for a poo poo. (Still waiting for the first poo poo in the potty.) But, the only time he wants to go is right before he takes a nap (so he can postpone his bedtime). I ask him if he needs to go, and he says, "No. Playing with (insert name)." So, right now, he still doesn't see the importance of taking a break to use the potty. It's much more convenient to just go in his training pants if he is busy doing something he likes. The need for patience comes when he takes a really long time to use the bathroom. With the child care I do for 2-4 other kids most of the week, I don't have time for him to play with the soap or take a few minutes to pull up his pants. So, my lack of patience and frustration is not helping in making this a "positive and encouraging experience". I hope I'm not the only one who has felt this way.

3 comments:

Beth Willmore said...

You're definitely not. Meg's been potty trained for a few months now, but just last week she was playing with a little friend and peed in her pants. I think she just got too busy playing - but I was still so frustrated because I feel like she's big enough that this shouldn't happen anymore. I shouldn't get so frustrated about it, because she's still little, but it drives me CRAZY!!

Anonymous said...

Yep, I know how you feel. I just need more patience; I know he will eventually be potty trained. I do look forward to that day. :)

LittleBrownFamily said...

I think this is why I keep procrastinating on potty-training Adam. I'm not sure I have the patience for it yet. Good job and good luck with potty training. As for getting him to listen and obey...Jeff and I had really been struggling with that with Adam for several months, and after watching another parent of a 2-1/2 yr old successfully use the counting technique, I decided to try it. I told Adam was going to count to 3, and if he didn't do it (using teh specific instruction I was giving) then he'd get a swat on the backside. I counted, I gave the swat, I loved him better. I did this for a week, and all I would do is "one..." and he'd run to do it. I never had to swat him after the first week. So there's an idea!