Connections

I am just asking for a little one.

Walter can tell me where he is supposed to go "tinkle" and "poop". We talk about it all the time. He can tell me what reward he gets for doing it, a sticker and a stamp on his hand. He can even tell me all about the agreement that we made that he is going to give his diapers to the Easter Bunny and, in turn, the Easter Bunny is going to bring him more cars and "man pants". (I know it sounds silly, but it totally worked with Olivia and Santa Claus.)

What we are missing is the connection. The one that connects all this talk to the actual act of using the potty without me forcing him to try every half-hour. The one that allows him to say YES when I ask him if he needs to go potty. The one that helps him to not tinkle in his pants and then, only after I have already changed his clothes, poop in them as well. The one that keeps him from going all morning (while we are away from the house) without an accident only to have one on the way to the bathroom when we return home.

I remember this same frustration with Olivia. I remember thinking that there was no way she was ever going to learn to use the bathroom. I remember having visions of driving to Kindergarten to change her diaper or bring a change of clothes daily. She was so stubborn. But then on Christmas she was done. She just decided to do it.

That is what I need now from Walter.