The Potty Training Saga

Disclaimer: For those seeking some knowledge sharing and some useful tips on how to potty train their toddlers, PLEASE DO NOT READ AHEAD. The story below is completely based on true incidents and any resemblance to any characters is completely intentional. So please read on, at my guarantee.

I was advised about potty training first when Nick was 1 month old. And guess, it was my DAD who was very diligently advising me on the benefits of starting early. I was almost like “Gaffawk”, my face read like “is it even possible for a 1 month old to understand any signals to potty training?”

After another month of staying at my parents, I came back to my house. I tried following to some extent, what my Dad had trained me on how to Potty train Nick. Surprisingly, my Mom-in-law, quite approved of me on this matter. By the time Nick was 3 months old, my Dad would ask me if I had bought the potty seat for Nick yet. And mind you this new first-time Grandfather would call me almost daily in those days to check how his grandson was doing. And I was like, “Papa, Potty seat? He can’t even sit yet.” And my expert Dad would be like, “Arre! But the seat has a back support. You don’t know, we had trained you and your sister in the similar manner. And we never had to struggle with your potty habits.” I was both amused and startled at the same time.

Tired of his following up, I decided to go shopping and buy a seat. This was something that my mother-in-law had not used with her kids. So obviously, she was very sceptical about the utility of buying it at all. Nevertheless, I followed my Dad’s instructions to the T and I declare this with a lot of pride that my LO was completely potty trained by the time he was 6 months. I had a ball of a time for the next 4 months.

And then he unlearnt everything!

Yet I did not pay much attention to this aspect of his grooming during that time, because I had joined back my work and thought that I wasn’t spending enough time with Nick to be able to closely monitor his habits(all included). And in this house, nobody fretting about the same made my life only easier.

But I started biting my nails, when I planned a vacation at my parents. Nick was going to be 16 months and I was like, oh fish! This boy is going to be a mess in my Dad’s house and my Dad is going to make me feel miserable for not doing my job properly.

Anyway, I reached my parents place, and by the end of 2 days, I realised it was not only my Dad who was obsessed with potty training. All my mother’s friends, including her sister who visited to meet us would widen their eyes in disbelief on seeing Nick in a Diaper. “Yeh abhi tak bhi batata nahi hai?” would be the invariable question. I can’t tell you how embarrassed I felt. Every time one of them shook their head in discontentment, I felt like I had committed a cardinal crime. The same night, I tried researching on Potty training on the internet and to my relief I figured that the optimum age when the kids can be expected to retain their potty habits is 2 years. So I took a deep breath and patted my shoulder in self condolence.
In the midst of a busy schedule of completing house chores, managing a loaded office job and spending time with Nick, I managed to continue my potty training efforts. I was determined that the next time I visited my parents, I was not going to give them a chance to question my dedication as a mother. So 8 months later, when at my maiden home, I very diligently made Nick take trips to the toilet at regular intervals. I still had to struggle to justify to my parent why I had to use a diaper for him whenever we went out. After the second objection, I simply widened out my hands and shrugged saying, “Aap logon le time pe Diapers utne accessible nahi the na. Right now if we have this facility / utility (whatever) why not use it?” (Aah ‘diapers and my first born’ is an altogether different epic. I wouldn’t want to dwell on it in this one!)

Well! All that was a year back. Nick today is almost 3 years and I can happily claim that he is almost completely potty trained. I say ‘almost’ because there is always this risk of an ‘accident’, in the most unexpected places and circumstances.
I wonder what’s been on Nick’s mind regarding this little potty training saga of his early life!!!

If you have a story/incident to share with regards to potty training your LO, please drop in your droplings’ stories in the comments section.