Oh Crap! Potty Training

house. The average family deals with several power struggles on a
daily basis, so potty training power struggles should come as no
surprise. Still, it’s best to avoid them if possible, which is why it’s so
important to avoid hovering or overprompting. Both lead to power
struggles.
Should you find yourself facing a power struggle, you need to
identify and remove whatever is creating it. This is because—let me
be very clear here—you cannot and will not ever win a potty training
power struggle with a toddler.
I remember a classic one I had with Pascal. He was about two feet
away from me, and I asked him to come over to me in a casual tone.
He responded, “No, you come here.” I followed with, “No, you come
here.” We kept going back and forth, and as I started digging in my
heels, so did he. Finally, I was able to put on my grown-up brain for a
minute and realize we were in fight about two feet of space . . . and I
didn’t even really need him to come to me! Geez Louise! Come on,
Mommy.
Don’t even try to tell me that something similar hasn’t happened
to you. So, as you can imagine, if power struggles can erupt over
nothing, think of the power struggle potential of something as big
and loaded as potty training! It’s a natural hotbed for a struggle.
Also, unlike other potential causes of power struggles, when it
comes to potty training, your child truly does hold THE POWER, in
a very literal way. We sometimes feel like our whole world revolves
around and is controlled by our kids. The reality, though, is they have
no control at all. We tell them where, when, why, and how to do
practically everything. This is normal. Their bodily functions,
though, are one thing we don’t control! They hold the pee (or poop),