"I Can Do It Myself"

And you know what, most of the time he can do it himself.  Of course this freaks me out a wee bit. To me he will always be the little babe we brought home from the hospital who couldn't hold his head up.  Man, now he is bounding up and down the stairs by himself, climbing all over anything and everything at the playground, and even switching lights on and off himself.  Is this boy who bounces into the tub without a second's hesitation the same infant who was so terrified of the bathroom that he practically hyperventilated during his first bath?  No wonder why parents can never let go.  You have your kid's most vulnerable state imprinted on your mind forevermore.

So he has progressed.  Then why at almost three-and-a-half won't he use the potty even a little bit?  I gave up trying again recently because everyone, including the pediatrician, says that pressuring a kid will only make them take longer to do it.  (Duh!)  So we've been cruising along pressure-free, but I couldn't  help myself the other day.  I had to ask, "So when are you going to start potty training?  He replied in a firm voice, "In four weeks."  SHould I mark that on my calendar?  I think not.  In the meantime I wait for the "I Can Do It Myself" attitude to apply to all thing potty.  In the meantime I can still try to enjoy that here is still some baby left in this little boy who is now well over 40 inches tall.

LibbY