CHAPTER 11

Prior Attempts at Potty Training

Over the years I’ve been called upon increasingly often to fix potty

training attempts gone awry. Most people run into trouble because
they’ve waited too long or have been too casual about it.
This chapter is for you if you’ve made any attempt at all to potty
train that hasn’t gone well. I want to be clear: I’m not saying this is
your fault. Still, you’ve probably made some classic mistakes if your
potty training hasn’t been successful.
Often with my clients, I’m not called in until the entire process
has disintegrated into a huge disaster. Parents’ nerves are frayed, if
not completely shot. Kids are ridiculously resistant: pooping on
floors, running and screaming from the potty chair, disrespecting and
ignoring parents (who, to be fair, are pretty hysterical). I’ve seen it
all, and I am not exaggerating. I know this is shocking, but potty
training elicits all kinds of emotions from both your child and you.
Still, sometimes what looks like chaos—once pulled apart—is a
relatively easy fix.
While every child and every situation is slightly different, I have
divided troublesome trainings into four main categories, which I’ll
label only to give you a clearer idea of what you are working with: