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5. Singing - Singing ditties with your child makes using
potty fun, even for you. Whenever you go potty and your child is watching or within hearing range, begin to sing this ditty to tune of "Mary Had A Little Lamb". Most likely, your child will come into bathroom and want to watch and sing with you. Imitation will follow.
Where do we poop and pee poop and pee poop and pee Where do we poop and pee We poop and pee in potty.
7. Emotional Intelligence - Learning to be emotionally intelligent during this phase of your child's life, will prepare you magnificently for phases to come and will serve you well all way through teen years.
You may notice that it is one thing to promise yourself to be patient, tolerant and fun loving, and another matter to be it.
Let's pretend that your child sits on potty, pees, gets off, pulls up his pants, and within seconds, poos his pants. Might a flash of anger go through your body as your expectation is dashed?
You may be tempted to react allowing your anger to escalate and control you rather than you control it. Instead, FREEZE! Just like game we played as children, freeze and do absolutely nothing except feel your feelings. If you stay in your frozen state of animation, intensity of feeling will dwindle within 30 seconds. Then you make a choice to return to being patient, tolerant, and fun loving. Yes, this takes practice and more practice particularly if you tend to be a bit reactive rather than proactive.
8. Lighten Up! Surrender Agenda - Give up expectation that your child must do things a certain way. Children are so creative and they may come up with ways of doing things that "work" but just not way you thought they "should". One mom said that her child used potty chair as a helmet prior to using it for its intended use. Be willing to learn from children. They are little geniuses. When you hear voice in your head saying "need to", "should", "must", "have to", begin to recognize that these are thoughts that set you up for inflexibility, keeping you stuck and ultimately increasing stress. I "choose to", "want to", "desire to", "like to", "am inspired to", I'd "be happy to", changes way we feel about what we are doing. The words we choose to use, either drag us down or lighten us up.
9. Let's Read - There are so many books for you to read with you child related to learning to use potty. Visit www.pottytrainingcoach.com for a listing. Reading books with your child prepares him to learn how to read himself as well as use potty.
10. Celebrating Successes - There is an old but true saying, "What you focus on expands". With this saying in mind, if you focus on what your child is doing "right" what will you get more of? Yes. More of what you want. If you focus on what you child is doing wrong, what will you get more of? Right again. More of what you don't want. Focus on your child's successes as well as your own. Don't hesitate to praise yourself so your child can hear you. "I did such a good job". "I like way I did that". A healthy, fun potty learning phase will boost your child's self-esteem (and your's) , fill him with feelings of accomplishment, and give her confidence. CELEBRATE adventure of Potty Training.!
Karen Glunz-Bagwell is an Educator and Coach. Degreed in Communications, certified as a parenting instructor and a parent, Karen has 30 years of experience as an Educator and Life Improvement Researcher. Karen combines her scientific/spiritual principles with down-to-earth, everyday, practical solutions to raising children, the healthy, fun way.
