It's My Potty And I'll Cry If I Want To

So, I have been dreading it and putting it off long enough, and now the 'oh so feared' potty training has begun. You are probably wondering why this is such a big deal to me. Well, you see, I am somewhat of a control freak and every time my daughter gains a little more independence I am less in control and it stresses me out! Now, I am aware that this is my issue and I promise I am working really hard at not letting it interfere with my daughter growing and developing. Hey, I let her learn how to walk! That should count for something....

So, I got the potty and the pull-ups and I am ready to go... now if only I could get my daughter to get on board with the whole thing. The first few days it was going ok, she used the potty a few times and I was feeling very optimistic, but now the novelty seems to have worn off and she is no longer interested. In fact, I have found her actually hiding from me when she's going potty, just so she can avoid having to go to the bathroom! And she hates having her diaper changed, so I really thought she would be happy to do this. I was wrong.

So, I've been doing my research... she has given every indication that she is ready to do this, and the fact that she knows to go and hide suggests to me that she knows what she is doing and what I would like her to be doing and then choosing to do what she wants instead. The battle has begun. She has found the one thing she has total control over and I am at her mercy.

To say that this is becoming rather frustrating, would be putting it mildly. I have followed all the advice I have gotten from my various sources. I got the pull-ups with characters that she recognized and liked. And she would get excited when she saw them, but it didn't make her want to go potty, it made her want to watch TV. I got a fun little potty with sound effects and everything, and I let her get accustomed to it prior to the potty training and she loved it. Sat on it all the time... now she's over it.

I have decided to take a little break and then I am starting over with a vengeance! I am now armed with a potty chart as well as stickers for rewards, I have activities for her while we are in the bathroom waiting for something to happen, and I am more determined than ever to get a handle on this! My 2 year old won't beat me... it's too soon for that!