we don't know crap

Mary: potty trained at 22 months
Sam: potty trained at 2 years
William: potty trained at 2 years
Luke:  3 1/2 years old and not potty trained???

Luke is living proof that no matter how many children people have...we don't know what the crap we are doing!

He is our fourth child to potty train.  We should be the ones writing all of those "potty training your 12 month old in a day" books that make everyone in the world feel like horrible parents, not the ones frantically reading every single one we can get our hands on.  For crying out loud!

It isn't that we haven't tried to potty train Luke, it is that he has absolutely and completely refused to have anything to do with it, even down to just talking about it.

I tried a few times in the spring, when he turned 3.  I was shocked that I had a 3 year old who was not potty trained! 
I bought him the fun underwear...he ran away from it.
I bribed him with treats....he didn't care.
I told him about all of his buddies that are going pee pee in the toilet.....he would just shrug.
I tried, and talked and begged until I was blue in the face, and he wouldn't budge.
So, I just gave up for the summer, hoping time would eventually help.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago.
I was lying in bed, and my brain was spinning with everything I had to get done before I had 4 kids begin school the next week.
All the sudden, I literally bolted straight up as I realized that Luke would be in preschool, at Heber Valley Elementary twice a week, for 1/2 a day...and I was pretty sure they weren't planning on changing his diapers!  I freaked out for a while, and then I got determined.  I promised myself that no matter what it took, I would potty train Luke...starting the next day.

The next morning, I bribed Luke with everything I could think of to get him to just put the underwear on.  After him refusing everything, I just took his diaper off, and put the underwear on him.  He screamed and thrashed and wailed like I had just chopped off his arm or something.  We were going nowhere fast.

Then, I decided to try to see if he would just sit on the toilet.  I had the older boys show him, and he watched, but when it was his turn, he ran away.

I spent the entire day trying one thing after the next.  I went to bed extremely frustrated and defeated.  I concluded that I knew nothing about raising children.  Dramatic...oh yes, but I was so frustrated!

I finally decided to pray about it.  I am not sure that Heavenly Father potty trained any of us, but I am positive that he knows Luke, he knows what will work for him, and he could guide me in the right direction.

It was very weird praying for my child to please pee in the toilet, but alas, I was to that point.  Go me.

The next morning, I again tried to get the underwear on Luke, no success.  And then out of the clear blue sky, or should I say it was beamed down to me from above, I knew what the problem was.  Luke just wanted to keep the diaper on.

So, I looked him right in the eye and said, "Luke, if I promise to put your diaper right back on, will you try to go pee in the toilet?"

Luke broke into a huge grin, screamed (yes, he actually screams everything he says lately..it is so fun) a big "yes!" and went sprinting into the bathroom.  (he also runs everywhere...he does not walk).

I was completely shocked!  I just stood there stunned for a second, and then followed Luke into the bathroom.  He did not pee, but he at least willingly sat on the toilet every hour that day.  SUCCESS!

The next day we did the same thing, no pee, but at least he sat on the toilet.

The following day, I decided to make Luke put his diaper on by himself after every trip to the bathroom.  It worked.  He realized that it was hard and time consuming, so he ended up asking for underwear!  And then the heavens broke open and the Hallelujah chorus burst forth!  At least in my head.

By the 5th day, Luke was finally peeing in the toilet and wearing underwear.  I felt like I had just conquered the world, and started to finally get rid of my certainty that I would be driving to Luke's High School to change his diaper.

 It's amazing what our children's bodily functions can do to us as parents.  Its ridiculous really.  "oh good Johnny, you just pooped in the toilet!  Let me sing while I wipe you bum."  Oh the things we do.

Luke is now trained to pee in the toilet, pooping is still in progress.  Baby steps...baby steps.

It pays to pray...even when it comes to Mickey Mouse underwear and peeing in a toilet.