i am not the pushy parent. i'm not the parent who showboats their kid around in public. just on the blog. but that's different. & i digress. i made a really deliberate choice to raise marcus with an exceptional amount of trust, and to really work to help him develop a strong sense of self - to trust himself, be secure with himself, and be wildly independant. it has worked against me i.e. on his first day of school at 11 months old, he turned to me and said "okay. bye mommy. see you after." and walked in on his own like he owned the place. i kind of wanted him to cry at least a little bit. [cough cough shameless selfish mother of one.] like, oh no, don't leave me here. but alas. there he went.
so we had a conversation about potty training [marcus and i]. and i decided to be open to it and trust that he would let me know.
then yesterday happened. he woke up and while i was changing him and getting him dressed for school, my 2-year-and-5-month-old-but-who's-counting said to me in his sleepy voice:
"mom? no diaper please. i wearing fancy pants to school. the ones with lightning mcqueen on it." [i.swear.to.god.word.for.word.]
me: "oh. you are?"
"ya."
me: "marcus, do you understand that if you don't wear a diaper, you will have to tell me or your teachers when you need to go to the washroom? on the potty?"
"ya."
so i chalked it up as progress, put his cutest little toddler butt into his bright red lightning mcqueen fancy pants, and assumed that by 10 am he would be back in his eco diapers, snug as a bug and peeing away to his heart's delight without a toddler care in the world.
um. nope. i picked him up at 5:30 pm. no accidents. he had told his teachers and used the potty all day at school. i cried. i literally was so proud i just could not help but cry a few very proud tears right there in classroom ns3 and told him exactly why i was crying. "marcus. i am just so proud and so happy. you have made me SO happy today. everyday. but especially today. you are amazing for using the potty all day. you are so awesome." and we called dad right away to share it with him too. and he was over the moon.
and this morning? the sequel. he told me again, but today wanted to wear his 'weenew fancy pants' aka the bright red ones with the fire trucks on them. and wouldn't you know it - james called me promptly at 5:20 pm to tell me he was still wearing the same fancy pants i had dropped him off in at 9:00 am.
if i told you i am the proudest mother in the entire world right now, it still wouldn't touch how i feel.
 |
| just slightly excited. |
-kare
