I give up.

There is no parental task so tortuous to me as potty training.  It has been, and continues to be the most amazingly frustrating thing I've ever attempted to do. 

Alex is ready.  He knows how to use the potty, he knows he's supposed to use the potty, he just chooses not to.  Any time I take him to the potty, he'll produce something, but he almost always goes in his pants in between trips to the potty.  And it's not like I'm waiting too long between trips.  There are days when I've taken him every fifteen minutes and he STILL pisses his pants!  The sticker chart had been working, but he's going through a whole sticker chart in a day (30 stickers) and STILL wetting his pants. We've tried rewards (get a toy, candy, etc. when peeing or pooping), punishments (take away a toy if he goes in his pants), constant reminding (every five minutes "do you need to pee pee?"), just letting him run around in soiled underpants which just resulted in a massive case of diaper rash, running around naked just made him realize he really loves to pee on his toys, my rug, the couch, etc.  We've tried a little potty, a potty seat on the big toilet, no potty seat at all.  We've tried cloth traing pants, superhero underpants, Pull Ups with "learning designs", Pull Ups with "cool alert" supposedly get cool when wet, but Alex couldn't care less.  He's even resumed peeing the bed at night, somthing he handn't been doing for months.  Short of inventing a Pull Up that stabs a hot poker into his scrotum when he wets, I'm at a loss for what to do next.

So, now, I say f--k it.  I give up.  This is a battle I'm clearly not going to win.  And it's just making me irritable and angry at Alex every single day.  We've been at this for about a year.  A YEAR.  So, f--k it.  Alex, you win.  They make Pull Ups up to a size 5t and he's currently wearing a size 2T.  If he wants to go to preschool next year (and he does), he can stop peeing his pants, if not, he'll have to wait another year.  If he's still not potty trained, he'll have to skip preschool all together.  If he STILL doesn't get potty trained, well, I guess we can look into homeschooling and adult size diapers.

Comments

[Mom, Barbara]

you know I have heard of "potty bootcamp"...your out source idea...

[Scott and Sara]

I am so sorry you are having such a hard time! Call Super Nanny : )

[LiL Jen]

We are having some issues also, perhaps because I am more like John than I thought....(afraid of poop but love the word) Just a crazy idea in the dark...maybe the Mom of a big boy friend would be alright with hanging out for the day at your house, and letting her son show Alex how easy and cool it is to use the potty...otherwise I gotta nothin. Love you though