Captain Strong Will

Today was a stay at home day, and we focused our energy on potty training.

This morning, I took off his bedtime diaper, and I didn't put a new diaper on at all. I let him be a bare-bottomed boy. After all, easy access may be half the battle. At the breakfast table, he ate his muffin and I told him the plan for the day. As I talked about the merits of the big boy potty, he just kept shaking his head, saying, "No, Mommy. Muffin."

Nothing was of greater interest than his precious muffin. Fine. I will wait until he's done eating.

After breakfast, we watched the Potty Movie for Boys. (It features the song Bye, Bye Diapers, to the tune of Bye, Bye Love. Very charming. And in my head all day now.)

I reminded him where the potty is.

I showed him the bowl of candy he can choose from when he puts something in the potty. (Something does not include the cell phone, which Tyler did multiple times.)

I loaded him up with sippy cups so there could be no lack of need to go.

We sat on the potty, we read books on the potty, we stood at the potty, we talked about all the wonderful things that happen to and for little boys who become big boys and use the potty. We talked about all the people we will call on the phone when he finally goes in the potty.

I was fully prepared to clean up any messes.

And you know what? He never went. He was most cheerful about the whole endeavor, but he never went. He never went in the potty, and he never went anywhere else. Not a drop. Five hours later it was time for naptime, and he had never once gone at all.

I put a new diaper on him, and I'm pretty sure he has been waiting all morning for the reassurance of that cushy diaper on his bottom. This is the first time I have really encountered Tucker's strong will; that is some seriously strong will. To hold it for five hours? There are throngs of women who would long for that degree of bladder control.

We'll try again later. Maybe later today, maybe tomorrow morning. For now, diaper is on.

And it's probably full.