Back in 2008 when I thought I had more time and energy, I bought a puppy. A wiener dog to be exact, I had been obsessed with them at the time because of their quirky bodies and quirky personalities and quirky reputations. In fact, I loved all things quirky. Still do actually. I had just a toddler at the time, we lived in a tiny rented condo in Fullerton, California. But I got the dog anyway.
It lasted exactly 2 weeks.
The dog refused to be housebroken. Apparently that’s a trait of the breed. I would take it outside for hours and hours and as soon as we walked back into the condo, it would pee. I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t let my toddler live in dog piss fumes. So my husband found a work associate that wanted it and that was that. At the time, giving the dog away was the hardest thing I ever had to do.
Today, thanks to this article on Someday I’ll Learn I started potty training my daughter. Which, in all honestly I partially “outed” myself in the article on purpose if only to force myself to finally crack down and potty train my 3 1/2 year old. The judgement I feel from others on the playground and my awesome husband’s family is getting to me.
The morning started out fine enough. She was semi interested in her Hello Kitty underwear but refused to go to the bathroom on the potty. By 11am I decided it was time to force her to sit on the pot for awhile. Nicely coerced with promises of delicious jelly beans upon pee arrival of course, I’m not a jerk.
She sat there for about 15 minutes. She refused to go, so I let her get up and play. She immediately went outside and peed in the grass. She announced it too, with a beaming look of happiness on her face.
I’m thinking my husband needs to find a work associate that wants her and that’ll be that.
When my oldest was 2 1/2 it took me exactly 2 days to potty train him. Back then, when I had only one child I was judgmental and smug. Smug that my son was a super pee-er on the potty-er. I thought those moms that complained about the difficulties of potty training were doing it all wrong. Now here I am with a 3 1/2 year old that refuses to pee on the pot.
I am smug no more.
