Oh Crap! Potty Training

routine. Children need time to discover the world around them.
Downtime is not only good, it’s essential. Boredom begets creativity;
it’s good for the soul.
To return to our discussion of poop, I think our fast-paced world is
largely responsible for poop problems and why they’re so common. I
hear from so many moms, “I’ve been home with my kid for two whole
days potty training. I’m going out of my mind.” No offense, but
spending two days at home shouldn’t make you go crazy. Just
something to think about.
Be sure you are creating a safe haven for your child, so she has
room to slow down and explore at her own pace. We have it all
backward today. We are overstimulating and overscheduling in one
breath, and yet in the next, we are delaying life skill milestones (like
potty training).
My son’s preschool was fantastic. They were very
Montessori/Waldorf-y but had no official affiliation with either.
They baked their own snacks every day and sat family-style. They
poured their own water and measured stuff. No characters were
allowed, to discourage marketing to children, no sugar was allowed in
their lunch boxes—that kind of school. One of the reasons I choose
this school was because there was no play yard. The school was
located downtown, and the kids utilized the entire city around them.
They went out every single day of the year—except for one very
blizzard-y day—cold, rain, shine, or snow. I highly valued that.
They also taught the kids how to dress themselves completely for
the weather. How to get on snow pants and mittens and boots. How
to zipper and button and tie. It was fantastic!! This teaching of life
skills was so much more valuable than any other sort of “teaching”