Blackmail

When you are child number three the blackmail starts early. It must be the influence of your older sibs (cousins too!). You see them doing all of sorts of interesting, grown-up things and you have to try them out for yourself.

For instance, Owen is keenly interested in the potty. He loves walking up to it and pointing in it loudly proclaiming "pee-pee" and "poop". He's a pro and tearing off bits of toilet paper and dropping them in. Emeline has banned him from the bathroom when she's using it because he tries to give her toilet paper even occasionally trying to wipe for her.

It was only a matter of time before Owen begged to try it out for himself. Several months ago he was doing just that. Pulling on his diaper while standing in front of the toilet and proclaiming "Pee-pee! Poop!". For whatever reason I did not think he was trying to tell me that he wanted to use the potty for the very things he was yelling, but moments later a messy diaper told me otherwise. I am ashamed to say that I didn't take advantage of that moment, but at the time he was only 16 months old. I have never experienced a baby at that tender age show the interest or ability to potty train. From that moment on, however, I vowed to seize every opportunity that Owen gave me to let him try it out.

One such opportunity arose earlier this week. Diaper off and cushioned potty seat on, Owen climbed up on that porcelain throne as proud and mature as any 18 month old I've ever seen. He was there for a while and I thought it was all just an act, but then "plop". He did it! To my amazement the little stinker pooped in the potty. A diaper free future flashed before my eyes. We all clapped and sang Owen's praises. He beamed. And then it was over. I barely flashed this pic before he scampered off the pot to resume his apprenticeship as Tasmanian Devil.

The Blackmail Begins!

P.S. - I am not getting my hopes up too high. Of course, I want all my children to succeed even excel and I will forever encourage them to those ends. But I also realize that kids go through phases and what they seek to do one month completely changes the next (one month it's "I can do it myself" and the next "Hold me Mommy"). And I am not going to be a slave to Owen's bathroom habits. I know many old-school moms (OSM) will tell me that when they had babies they were potty trained by 12 months. (I was late being trained - closer to 16 or 18 months - and what shame my mom experienced as a result!) In fact, just this past weekend a OSM asked me if we were potty training to which I gave a quick, no-excuses negative reply. But really were these babies trained or was it the moms? Maybe OSMs were more tuned into their kids, but I have times when I forget to go to the bathroom! We'll keep you posted... about Owen that is!