Monday, November 9, 2009

Henry gem of the week...

I'm going to warn all readers now - this post will involve the word 'poo.' Parents will be totally unfazed by this, but for those of who have not navigated the world of potty training, I wanted to provide fair warning :)

So, poo. Why is it that toddlers/pre-schoolers (particularly boys, it seems) detest performing this necessary bodily function? Is it really so difficult? All of us wish we didn't have to do it, but the fact is, we do. As Hank would say "That's how God made us, Mommy."

From the time we started potty training Henry, he was resistant. At first, he was an equal opportunity resistor and also resisted going pee on the potty. He got over that fairly easily, though in the process he developed The Bladder of Steel. The child can go ALL DAY on a single pee. It's downright unprecedented. But he's gotten better with that. He doesn't mind peeing on the potty, especially now that he knows how to do it standing up. Standing up to pee is apparently *way cool.*

Poo is a completely different story. To this day, Henry will deny that he has to poo even as the room begins to stink and his stomach cramp. He came casually waltzing into the living room one day, saying "I don't have to poo," as he LIMPED across the room. The child was *limping* and yet still would not poo.

Every trip to the potty in which the 'p' word is mentioned causes a chain reaction involving vehement protestations, angry frowns, and inevitably, one bursting into tears:

"Henry, do you have to poo?"

"NO!" *pause* "Mommy, could I have a fresh pair of underwear?"

"Henry, that means you have to poo."

"NO! I DON'T HAVE TO POO!! That's NOT NICE to say that!!"

"Henry, honey, just *poo*! Really, you'll feel so much better. Mommy will read you a book while you go."

"NO! I DON'T HAVE TO POO!!"

And so it goes.

Yesterday afternoon, Henry sequestered himself underneath the dining room table, claiming that he was on a space ship and was about to take off. The "takeoff fumes" caught my attention, so I got suspicious, and went to investigate:

"Henry, do you have to poo?"

*pause*

"Mommy, there's no bathroom on my space ship."

Well. Isn't that convenient?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for commenting! I read and appreciate every single one, and I will respond to each one personally!