A reader asks:
"For the heck of it, my 26-month-old daughter's child care provider and I decided to see how she would react to sitting on the potty, even though she has shown no signs of interest. Surprisingly, the reaction was good using a small potty, although we kept her in diapers because she still cannot distinguish the need to go yet.
Now, she refuses to go for her father or I, but very willingly goes for our sitter five or six times a day! What could be causing this? We've made sure not to push her as I don't want her to get upset or turn her off, but I still ask her even if she ignores me or screams, 'No.' "
I can remember parents complaining about this same issue when I was a child care provider. They didn't understand that a toddler classroom can be a well-oiled machine and they thought maybe their child's refusal had something to do with their own parenting skills. This is just not true except in a very few instances.
There are several factors that can make potty training a breeze at child care (or for a provider) yet a hurricane at home. Schedules, routines and peer pressure are just a few things your child's teacher has going for her when it comes to successful potty training at child care. Read more and learn how you can get your child to go potty at home.
Lately, I've been surrounded by a lot of talk about organization and cleaning. I've also been surrounded by a pretty dirty house and a lack of motivation to do much about it. But school is starting soon, the lazy summer is almost over and I feel like I need to do something about it.
I didn't always feel this way, though. My childhood exposed me to several different cleaning styles. My mom didn't care about cleaning too much. My stepmother was pretty much obsessed with it. And then I spent years in a dorm where everybody had chores but it wasn't the end of the world if things got a little messy now and then. When I ventured out on my own, keeping a tidy abode was the last thing on my mind.
Until I had my son. Then I became worried about every little thing that was on the floor. I was scared to death he was going to choke on some tiny thing I'd neglected to vacuum. And, of course, being so close to the floor, he proved time and time again just how capable he was of finding tiny specks of leaves, paper and whatever else I'd missed.
Time was certainly a factor as well. Once he hit the 12-month mark, he hit the ground running - literally - and never seemed to stop. I followed, but most of the time I was too tired to bring the broom and dustpan along with me. I decided to find a compromise that factored in safety, cleanliness and sanity. Other mothers I know have done the same thing to varying degrees and the funny thing is, all of our kids seem to be doing just fine. Even the mom who sweeps and mops her kitchen floor every day. Even the mom who really does have a kitchen counter underneath there, somewhere. Even me.
What about you? How clean is your house and how much work are you willing to put forth to keep it that way? What kind of example did your parents set and has that influenced you one way or the other today? What's the one thing about your housekeeping that you're most proud or ashamed of? (Mine has to be that crusty stuff on top of the fish tank that I've seen but just haven't mustered the energy to clean yet. Eww!)
More Interesting Bits:
A mother writes about
potty training:
"My child is potty training today. We have stuffed her full of drinks and she pees about every 10 to 15 minutes. She has used the potty several times when we take her to it at timed intervals. She does not seem to understand that when she feels the urge, she should go sit on the potty herself. She pees wherever she is sitting (a few times on us) and does not seem to mind. I do not want to 'catch' her pee all day long. What do you suggest we do?"
I get questions like this quite frequently. The answer I have, however, may not be one that many parents want to hear. What you should do is stop potty training. But don't look at it as quitting or as a setback. Think of it more like taking a break. The reason: Your child is not ready to potty train yet.
Read more of this answer or leave your own answer to this mom's question below.
Calling all daddy and mommy bloggers (and anyone else who blogs on family issues): There's a new blog carnival slated to go live in September that will focus on the topic of Grandparents and Grandparenting. Deadlines for submissions will be Aug. 30, so fire up the blog and get crackin'. Here are the rules for the carnival and you can learn more about how to send your submission to Grandparents Guide Susan Adcox here.
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