It's My Potty...

...and I'll try if I want to.

Did you know that the average potty training age for boys is anywhere from 31 to 38 months? Seriously! For the record, I am beginning to think there is some merit to these “experts” and statistics. Apparently even "child genius’s" have an opinion about being diaper free…it’s frowned upon.

For the past few months Pearce has been showing some interest (even minor) in potty training. He often tells us when he is wet or dirty and sometimes he even tells us before he dirties his diaper. Being the “our-child-is-a-genius” parents that we are, of course we think Pearce can beat all statistics and potty train before the age of two!

I find myself daydreaming about sitting on the couch with Oprah as I tell her just how we conquered the potty for Pearce, followed by Barnes & Noble book signings of our best-seller, “How to Push Your Child to Overachieve in the Bathroom”…all the while enjoying a diaper free darling. So these are the thoughts that fill my mind as I nudge Pearce to excellence.

When we first bought Pearce’s potty I watched everyday for the UPS shipment to arrive. Seriously, I was gung ho about this new addition to our lives. When it arrived I was just certain that Pearce would be so overcome with joy and gratitude that he would drop his drawers, grab his favorite board book, and potty where civilized society expected him to! That’s not exactly how it played out.

Pearce was actually very eager to sit on his potty and he even knows to call it “potty” but I think he is under the impression that it is some modern looking chair for his enjoyment. Maybe he has been sneaking issues of Architectural Digest to bed? I have actually learned quite a bit about potties and their many uses….here are just a few:

Potties make fabulous hats. Pearce discovered this a few nights ago. I gotta tell ya, when he placed it on his head it sort of resembled some modern day cowboy hat. Not bad, Pearce.

 Potties make excellent "carts". Pearce has spent plenty of time packing his potty full of trinkets and toys and pushing it from room to room as he moves about the house. Clever use…you can never have too much storage, can you?

Potties…ahem…clean potties make practical dishes. Pearce’s potty has already housed some of his favorite snacks: string cheese, crackers, and gold fish. I can appreciate the need for somewhere to store your food. After all, his little cheeks can only hold so much.

Potties also make convenient toothbrush holders. Pearce loves to snatch Jimmy’s toothbrush and gnaw on it a bit (that’s a whole other sanitary issue), and the other day he found the proper place to store daddy’s toothbrush: in his potty. It fit perfectly and the colors coordinated nicely. Aren’t human mouths the grimiest places on the human body? Surely the potty can’t be too bad. It was actually cute until the next day when I looked over to see Pearce marching towards our toilet with Jimmy’s toothbrush in hand. No joke, thank goodness he has trouble getting the lid up.

Last, potties are the perfect lounge chair/stepstool a kid could ask for. Pearce has been known to tip over his potty to attempt greater height…to reach something he shouldn’t have, no doubt. And he finds great joy in sitting on his potty on his terms. Need a place to rest your feet? Find the potty. Prefer to sit while you brush your teeth? Find the potty.

Oh Pearce, you bring my heart joy.