On Two Trains

We're still thinking about Boston.  I was a complete tourist on our way out and I took photos of my kids on the T looking back at the city as we headed over the bridge and into the subway tunnel that would take us north.  It was quiet inside the car as we rumbled along.  We were tired and I started thinking about potty training, perhaps because I didn't know the state of their diapers or perhaps because we were on a train, or perhaps because because I think about it all the time.

I wonder why potty training kids is such a big deal.  I'm pretty sure that I hear just as many potty training stories and advice from other moms as I hear labor and pregnancy stories.  It's that big of a deal.  I wonder why I don't cling to my kids' babyness when it comes to this issue of self-control--this is definitely one thing I want them to develop and I'm pretty sure I'll never regret wishing this diaper-changing, diaper-buying, diaper-disposing time away.  There are so many issues here, I know--toddler confidence and self-reliance, sanitation, comfort, waste, money. 

The great news is that we are having success.  E took to it right away--he still has accidents every now and then, but for the most part he's aware of his body.  A has finally earned her shoes.  (Pilots earn wings, and A earns shoes.)  Six months ago I purchased a collection of princess shoes and I've been attempting to bribe her without any luck.  This week she seems to have turned a corner, and as a reward she has been clicking around the house in these shoes that she has earned one pair at a time.  She requests her toenails be painted and mindfully selects the color of shoes for the day.

She's just happier, too.  Maybe that's why this is such a big deal--we all know that everyone will be happier at the end of this transition.  We still have a journey ahead of us, but this potty train has picked up some speed and that's encouraging to all of us.