Book # 11: Diaper-Free Before 3

by Jill M. Lekovic, M.D.

As I was diving into the book, Surprised by Christ, I received a surprise of my own. Our 18-month old, Madilyn, has been very interested in the toilet and all that it entails. She has also begun to tell us when she is making a number 2 in her diaper. All this led me to believe that I might need to move my potty training expectations up a bit.

With this in mind, I was searching Craig's List and found a person selling a Little Tykes barn set and a child's potty. I jumped on the chance to get both at a good price. I brought them home, cleaned them both, and presented the barn set for her to play with.

That evening, when Josh was home as well, we asked her if she wanted to see her new potty. She knew exactly what it was for, and immediately tried to climb on it. So we stripped off her pants and diaper, and sat her on it, both chuckling to ourselves at how little she was and how funny it was to see her on the potty. Low and behold, she got the better of us, as she began to pee in it! Amazed and overwhelmed by what this might mean, we praised her success and redressed her.

The potty was moved to the bathroom, and before bath, I once again sat her on it. Once again, she peed. "Now I'm really in for it," I thought, and I knew that Surprised by Christ, would have to wait.

Friday we made a trip to the library, and I hastily threw every one of their potty training books into my bag before heading to Madi's Rhyme Time program. Then began the one day reading marathon of trying to figure out if she was ready to be potty trained, if I was ready to help her, and what the heck the next step would be.

I am happy to say that my stress of the unknown has subsided. After devouring the above mentioned book, as well as parts of two others, I feel prepared. We will take this slow, but by all means continue to encourage her to use the potty. She has since used it two more times--once Friday night and once Saturday before her nap. And why shouldn't I sit her on it any time she has a bare bottom or I am planning to use the toilet myself?

So here I am, once again spurred on to actions I was not even ready to conceptualize by a child all-too-eager to conquer the world and her surroundings. Refusing to eat baby food at 9 months, walking at 10 months, and now potty training at 18. I can only say that it requires a lot of prayer and trust in God to be ready to tackle tasks I don't feel prepared to confront at this time in her development. But I guess that is why Madi and I need each other--me to guide her in her new found independence, and her to guide me to my salvation through learning to leap before I feel ready.

So please forgive the unaccounted for book insertion, but surprised I was.

Next book: Continuing to read Surprised by Christ