Warning: Post contains details about potty-training, you might get grossed out!!
We started potty-training Owen right after he turned 3 back in December. He got the concept fairly quickly and within a couple of weeks he was able to pee in the potty without any problems, he hardly ever wet his pants. But when it came to going #2 in the potty....it was a different story.
He would hold "it" for days so when he did go it would hurt and he would cry and cry. He screamed every time he would sit on the potty to go #2. Most of the time his screaming was accompanied by kicking, hitting, and spitting. Let's just say Spencer and I became extremely worn out by Owen's 45 minute bathroom charades.
Owen also gave us a run for a money when he would have to go #2 in public. I don't think I have ever been more embarrassed than the time I was in Target and I could tell my son had to go to the bathroom so I took him into the public restroom. Once inside the stall he started screaming at the top of his lungs, "No Mommy, no Mommy it's hurting me!!" (Great now I am a child abuser!!) We were in that bathroom a good 30 minutes (all 30 minutes he was screaming at the top of his lungs) before he finally gave in and went to the bathroom. Needless to say we stayed inside the bathroom stall until everyone left the bathroom. I grabbed the kids and ran like heck out of there in hopes that there was a small chance that the people who heard the screaming wouldn't figure out who was making all that noise.
Spencer had a similar experience when we were at the Doctor's office. Spencer took Owen to go #2 while I stayed with Audrey. I could hear the screaming from clear down the hall. I was glad that that time I got to pretend that it wasn't my kid screaming about his bum hurting.
Owen's bathroom escapades made us late for several occasions, caused us a lot of public humiliation, and made us miss lots of events completely. This continued on for months. Right now some of you might be thinking, "Why didn't you try different rewards or punishments to help motivate Owen." Well let me tell you, we tried EVERYTHING!!! That time we were in Target I told Owen that I would buy him anything in the store if he would just stop screaming and go to the bathroom, it didn't work. We bought him different toys and would show it to him and tell him he could have it once he went #2 in the potty, he didn't care about the toys. We tried taking toys and television away, he didn't care.
I made a sticker chart for him and told him that once he filled up the entire chart we would buy him Buzz Light Year Wings, which is something we knew he really wanted. Even with the promise of Wings, the sticker chart wasn't very effective. He continued to scream, cry, kick, hit, and spit whenever we made him sit on the toilet to go #2. I would say that he went poo on the potty maybe 2 out of 10 times. The other 8 times were in his pants. The most frustrating was when I knew he had to go, he would scream on the toilet for 45 minutes and convince me that he didn't have to go, and then poop his pants 15 minutes later. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I had to take him home from the store, the park, playgroup, and friend's houses because he pooped his pants. It was awful and I was sick of it.
It took Owen about 3.5 months to fill up this chart, that's a long time considering he could of filled it up in about 1 month if he made it to the toilet every time he had to go. He was very proud of himself for completing the chart and eager for me to fulfill my end of the bargain by buying him the wings. I was hesitant to even buy the wings since he was still pooping his pants and screaming on the toilet, I felt like the sticker chart had been a huge failure. But a deal was a deal.
I ended up having to order the wings on-line since I discovered that none of the local stores carried them. Owen was so excited when the wings finally arrived!! We opened up the box and I put them together. Before I let him wear them I explained to Owen that he is a big boy now and only big boys get to wear Buzz Light Year Wings. I told him that he got the wings by going poop on the potty like a big boy. No joke after he got his wings he started going #2 on the toilet without hardly any more problems. No more screaming, no more crying, no more kicking and hitting, he just started going like a big boy. Spencer and I are still shocked at what a difference Buzz Light Year Wings made!!!
Going #2 still isn't perfect, but it's a WHOLE LOT BETTER than before. Buzz Light Year really did save the day!!
