Big boy potty

Most mamas of wee kids I know can't wait to start potty-training and be done with diapers. My daycare and my online runner mamas group are filled with proud (and sometimes frustrated, if things aren't going quite so well with the big boy potty or big girl potty) moms crowing about how they got their little one to start pottying. I know moms who read books, devote entire weekends, and spend lots of time talking to other moms about strategies.

Not me.

Oh no, I'm not saying they're wrong.

Wait -- I forgot to mention the whole, and yes, I'll say freaky, diaper-free movement. Where you spend like, every nana-second, analyzing your baby's "cues" -- the thinking is that your baby is born potty-trained. I'm not making this crap up. Kudos to those crazy, er, dedicated moms who pull this off... but um, ok, back to what I was saying.

The little toddler man is 2 years 9 1/2 months. Some kids in his daycare his age are potty-trained already. I just let that news breeze by my ears. When I read online about moms who are like, aha, I got my kid trained at 2! I let that information just float through my brain and exit quickly.

Why? Am I just clutching these baby years because I am a sentimental older mama? Uh no.

It's because, I confess, I am lamely still traumatized from potty-training my college-age son. Who I'm sure would be delighted to know I'm blogging about his potty-training! Ha, take that!

It took FOREVER to train him. Everyone tells you boys take longer, blah blah blah. I don't care. It was so maddening. It seemed like we'd go thru a good potty streak and then bam, refusals to use the potty, tears (sometimes mine), tantrums and then we'd be back. Bribery! Candy! Anything! I'm probably not remembering this correctly but I swear to God, it took like, a year. OK, it coincided with a year that I was a divorced parent, but still. Trauma!

So the other week at daycare, the incredibly awesome workers who work in the toddler room have told me multiple times that the little toddler man is showing an interest and has even sat on the potty. After being told that a few times, and being asked if I want them to help potty-train him, I caved to their peer pressure, nervously.

I got my friend's hand-me-down Baby Bjorn potty out -- good lord, that thing is so cute, with its little boy splash guard and teddy bear decal.

We put it on the bathroom floor. Little M danced around it, played with it, chattering away about "big boy potty" and "my bear". That was a few days ago.

Last night I asked him if he wanted to go. He loves to sit on the potty now and chatter away, and last night he was on fire. He was telling me about how he could fly over the bathroom. He was quite entertaining.

Then, his face froze a bit, his dark blue eyes widening just enough to be noticed. I'm like, are you pottying? Are you pottying?

The chatter resumed, and he had no intent of getting off the potty. I was dying. No acknowledgement of if he'd done anything.

Finally! He got up! And holy moly did he pee! I wanted to run to Facebook and tell all my friends. Which I might anyway. YEAH!!!!

So, I'm not kidding myself that oh, he's all potty-trained now. (cue the maniacal laughing!) But oh man, what a very nice first step.

Now, about cleaning up after yourself...