Oh Crap! Potty Training

know you know what I’m talking about.
Let’s look at why a child might be afraid of pooping on the potty.
For starters, it’s new. Toddlers are known routine lovers. Diapers have
been their routine since . . . hmmm . . . about two hours after birth.
Think about that. Your child may well have been in a diaper before
he even fed for the first time! Wow. It’s pretty crazy when you look at
it, huh? So yeah, something this big and new is going to throw him.
You know how most kids go through a period of separation anxiety
when they’re apart from you? Well, they’ve known and loved a diaper
about as long as they’ve known and loved you. So it’s fair to say the
fear can be equated with a sort of separation anxiety.
I use many phrases to describe what a diaper might mean to a kid:
a habit, a routine, an addiction, a security blanket. Behind the words
is the same notion: pooping in a diaper is all your child has known.
Now, you and I logically know about waste management, the toxicity
of fecal matter, and the wonders of the sewer system, but once again,
let’s look at this through toddler eyes: since the dawn of your kid’s
time, he has pooped in a diaper. Maybe he knows you go elsewhere to
do your business, maybe he knows you don’t wear a diaper, maybe he
knows other grown-ups go elsewhere to do their business. But
probably not. Because toddlers don’t really give a crap about anyone
but themselves, as witnessed by the never-ending required messaging
“Please share.” This is all totally normal and, I think, kind of cool.
Anyway, all this is by way of saying: don’t expect your toddler to
come to the logical conclusion that one day, he too will be pooping
in that same designated place. In fact, expecting anything logical at
all from your toddler would be your first mistake.
Your kid, for probably around two years, has been pooping the only