Oh Crap! Potty Training

such a deviation from the norm puts kids on high alert. I also have
amended the junky food recommendation. I started potty training
before I was a mom, and I thought sugar highs were kind of cute in
other people’s kids. Now that I’m a mom, though—and kind of a
health food nut—I no longer find the sugar highs cute, nor do I think
the junk food is necessary.
We want potty training to be the new norm for your child, and the
best way to do that is to normalize the process as much as possible for
her. That’s why we don’t want the potty training start day to be so
crazy and out-of-routine that it fills your kid with unease. I also have
a theory that life these days is just moving too fast. As a result, I
think all of our kids are getting anxious in general. I think the
economy and politics and all these grown-up concerns are wiring our
kids in a huge, “collective consciousness” way. I think there are many
issues associated with this collective vibe even if we, as individuals,
do our best to combat it. But really, that’s another book entirely.
For now, let’s just say that it’s best to begin the potty training
process with both you and your child as even-keeled and level as
possible. To that end, I suggest you start with as little fanfare as
possible, so that you normalize this process as much as is humanly
possible. Using the toilet is just something we all do as socialized
beings. I want to remind you here, peeing and pooping are primal
behaviors. You don’t have to teach your child how to pee or poop.
Through potty training, you are simply teaching your child where to
put his waste. Putting his waste in an appropriate container is
socialized. And our particular society, the appropriate container is a
toilet.
Here we go! To begin the first block of learning, take the diaper