Had you told me a week ago that I’d be toilet training my youngest, let alone writing about the experience, I’d have thought you’d mixed me up with another enthusiastic charity writer. Whilst I’m not adverse to using every day experiences to motivate and encourage others, this has always tended to err toward the safe, warm and fuzzy variety.  However, having spent the last three days cleaning up after my young man and with no apparent let up in sight, I’m throwing caution to the wind today

My son turns three on Saturday.

Having successfully (and painlessly!) led his two elder sisters toward knickers by 28 months I (wrongly) assumed that he would travel a similar path, albeit of the pants variety. We took our first steps along this path back in September last year. I was patient, kind and calm. I kept a diary of all activity that day but don’t even need to look at it to confidently tell you that he urinated seven times and did the other twice. Seeing my young son inadvertently using his plastic toddler chair to do an impression of a sieve was the low point of my day until his sisters arrived home from school and called me into the front room to tell me that he had relived himself here, and here and here and … oh look mummy, there’s more here! It was 5pm when I folded.

We reluctantly tried again in February.

After he had been to the toilet all over the floor twice within the first hour of being awake, it was agreed that the time was not right. We were all set to procrastinate a little longer. In fact, I hold Iggle Piggle personally responsible for the fact that we’re doing this now instead of in July or August. Iggle Piggle arrived on Monday. He somehow ensconced himself on the front of my son’s pants. I can’t really blame said TV character. It was in fact my lovely husband who bought them for our son. When you’re nearly three, finding a pair of pants with a picture of your favourite TV character on the front is a big deal.

He was keen.

By that what I really mean is he didn’t baulk loudly at the prospect of wearing pants. Given previous experiences with underwear, this was taken as an indication of readiness He was in fact loudly enthusiastic largely because after sitting on the toilet he gets to wash his hands. Washing hands aka water play

Three days on and we’ve made a little bit of progress

It was suggested to my son that he might like to sit on the toilet. He did and the celebration that erupted after he did what it was we were all hoping he would do was akin to Wales winning the Six Nations. This follows two days where all bodily waste had found its way to anywhere other than the toilet so you can, I hope, understand our delight at such a seemingly small step forward.

However, small steps forward are still movement forward and it is this that really prompted me to share this seemingly messy subject with you. Think about the stuff you have ahead of you today. Is it messy? Has it the potential to give you a headache? Are you contemplating something that you’d really rather not consider but you know you must? Tell me about it

Can you find something small to celebrate in your day today? It might be something as small as a trickle of urine in a toilet but it gave us cause for lollipops all round

Tagged as: celebrate, small, Thoughtful Thursday