Potty Protocol

I'm pretty fortunate that Lucy's been potty trained since last July, when she was about 2 1/4 years old. I owe a lot to my sister, Elaine since she introduced me to Diaper Free Baby even though I was pretty lax in my EC approach. But even though Lucy can go to the bathroom by herself, she almost always still has me go with her (or sometimes Brandon, if he is home).

Potty time can be a bit traumatic for her lately. It used to not be so much drama but I think that as she has gotten older and more aware, she is more fearful of things and poo is one of them. She thinks that the poo will hurt her (and this is where I indoctrinate her to eat more fruits and vegetables as I explain that the fiber will make her poo come out more easily). So we have these rituals that we sometimes have to do with her. Often, she will ask me to hold her hands in my hands. If it is especially traumatic, both me and Brandon need to be there, holding both of her hands. And sometimes, she will whisper, "Say the words." And then I will have to chant, "You can do it! You can do it!" And then she will whimper, and groan, and push and after she is done, she will yell out, "I did it!" And sometimes we will even sing the song from Dora the Explorer, "You did it, you did it, you did it, HURRAY!"

The things parents do for their children. My younger self would be pointing at me laughing. But at least Lucy appreciates it. It's the little things that mean the most, right?