Beware: graphic pee and poop stories ahead (sorry - I have to write it down somewhere. When James is older I'm sure he will be thrilled this is in our blog book)...
We tried it several times, making James sit on the potty to see if he could go. Not only did he not want anything to do with the idea but he genuinely seemed to have no clue about where and how he could get the pee pee out. That's why I was shocked when on his third birthday he came running into the room telling me he needed to go pee pee in the potty.
You see, we had been telling him for months, probably 4 months, that when he was 3 he would need to start using the potty instead of his diaper. After his birthday party (which was two days before his actual birthday) we tried to convince him to start going, but somewhere along the way he picked up that he wasn't actually 3 until after his party and he refused. Two days later, the day of his actual birthday, we explained to him that he was now 3 and would need to start using the potty. The most difficult part of the process was convincing him he was actually 3. About 5 minutes after that, he came running back into the room, telling me he needed to go potty. I wasn't sure to believe him, but I took him over and sure enough, he went!
He continued to go the rest of the day with one accident at McDonald's later that evening which I claim responsibility for. I had asked him if he needed to go and he said he would after he finished his nuggets. About a minute later he peed his pants. I, of course, should have taken him right away when he gave the indication that he needed to go. It's a good thing that he potty trained himself since I'm obviously not that good at it.
Our next hiccup came when he needed to poop. I found him in his favorite corner one morning starting to turn a little red in the face. I quickly picked him up and started running to the bathroom, at which point he started screaming and crying. He wanted nothing to do with that and was screaming for a diaper. I finally relented and gave him a diaper, feeling disappointed that we didn't have the miracle potty training that I thought. After he was done I talked with him about it and explained to him that he was supposed to go poop in the potty too. He looked confused and said he didn't know that and he would do that next time. I realized I had really only ever talked about pee pee in the potty and I'm not sure I ever told him he had to poop in the potty too. Sure enough, the next time he had to go poo poo he came to tell me and he went! And that was it - he was / is officially potty trained.
Given this story, many people would say (and have said), he could have been potty trained a lot sooner - he obviously knew what to do right away and was just holding out on me. But for me, it doesn't matter. I feel like the more we are able to respect our children's wishes, the more they will respect ours. I believe it builds a mutual respect for each other. It wasn't his timing any sooner and I appreciate that about him. I have learned a little insight about James' God-given traits. He doesn't like to be thrown into things. He needs proper preparation but he holds up his end of the bargain when he gets there and I appreciate that and will keep that in mind as he continues to develop.
Now he tells everyone he meets - at the grocery store, at church - it doesn't matter: "I go pee pee in the potty." So proud of him!!!
Here he is riding his first big boy bike:
