Potty training can take the fight out of the best parent.  It takes constant patience, attention, and a consistency known no where else in the galaxy.  I guess that’s one of the reasons that so many parents in “modern” society tend to put off potty training as long as possible.

I’ve read stories about how some societies complete the children potty training by six months old.  Any time before the child can say “I gotta go” seems awful early to me.  In our house, the child starts potty training only when he shows an interest in it.  Until that moment (and for some time after the initial interest) the diapers are more than welcome.  Disposable diapers probably contribute to my lax attitude.

The first child was a late bloomer.  I don’t think he was potty trained before he was three, but the truth is that as time passes I don’t really don’t remember everything thing that he did and when he did it.  I do remember that we used the pull-ups method and I do remember cleaning up some serious messes.

The second child was more interested – probably because he had seen big brother do it.  He was trained before he was two.  The pull-ups didn’t work well with him.  We went with training pants instead.  It went much quicker with these.

Now the third child is showing interest, only he isn’t doing ANYTHING like his brother’s did.  He wants to use the little potty – his brothers preferred the big potty.  He wants to go #1 and is quick to tell you – his brother’s took a bit of time figuring out this one.

The moral of the story is that every person – parent or child – will be different.  For successful potty training, you’ll need some time, lots of patience, and forgiveness (for when mistakes are made).  With a lot of consistency, potty training will be a breeze for the parent’s and the children.