Success and Positive Thinking

1. Success!

Avery is going potty on the toilet. Hooray! I have to confess: I was really stressing over the idea that he may not be potty trained by his third birthday. Then, last Saturday morning, he woke up and wanted to wear some BBU's (Big Boy Underwear). We've tried this approach a couple of times in the last year; putting underwear on and telling him he can't go potty in them, placing him on the toilet, etc. He was excited about this whole idea previously, but never had the patience to sit and wait for the potty to come. Last weekend, though, he stayed on and peed like a champ! Occasionally, after that first successful attempt, he would reject the suggestions I made that he try to sit on the toilet again (usually in about 1/2 hour intervals). So to entice him, I used these little incentives:

- A squirt of baby soap in the toilet, so that when he went potty, he made bubbles!

- A Potty Poster - one star sticker for potty, two star stickers for poop (which we haven't succeeded at yet). Once the poster is filled, he gets to pick out a new toy from the toy store.

- One M&M for each time he even sat on the toilet the first day (thankfully, he forgot about this incentive by the second day, and was more focused on the bubbles and star stickers).

- Fun Disney character underwear. He was so excited to pull those pants down and see his Bob the Builder (actually, I don't think this one is Disney, but you know what I mean), Batman, and Finding Nemo undies every time we went into the bathroom!

It has now been just over a week since we started this potty training shove, and we've only had a handful of accidents. So far, he hasn't made a #2 deposit (he is still wearing diapers overnight and has saved the pooping for then), and aside from making sure he gets lots of fiber and drinks plenty of fluids, I'm not sure what to do to make this one happen on the toilet. I'm trying to be patient, though!

We have an adapter seat on the standard toilet that Avery usually goes potty on, but I've read that doing the "big job" on something so high up makes them feel nervous, which means they're unable to relax enough to poop. (I'm sorry, by the way, if anyone reading this is offended by my topic today. It's a Mama thing, and I doubt I'll offend other Mamas out there. Anyone else can just skip this first portion and go straight down to the Positive Thinking section of my post.) We have a little potty chair in both bathrooms (three kid toilets total)...so we have just been using each of the different ones randomly throughout the day, thinking that maybe he'll find one is "The Perfect Pooper."

So, the point is: I'm open to suggestions. How do I speed this process along? Or at least keep it on track?

2. Positive Thinking

My subtitle for this blog is a quote by Norman Vincent Peale. While I love the quote, I honestly hadn't even heard of Dr. Peale until I Googled famous quotes about zest for life. I decided it's quite uneducated and ridiculous, really, to quote someone about whom I know nothing (I just spent the last 10 minutes trying to figure out if I had written that last sentence properly).

To solve this issue, I decided to order this from Amazon last week. Since Dr. Peale was a minister (preacher?), much of his focus is on the role God plays in one's life. I would say that I'm spiritual, if not overly religious. The reviews I read before purchasing this book were pretty impressive - one reviewer even goes so far as to say the book is like a pocket psychotherapist. Hm...

I have barely begun reading it, but already it has me thinking about my beliefs. I have always questioned why Catholics believe their version of Christianity is better than all others. I have also wondered why each niche religion insists that what they believe is different from the beliefs of others'. From my standpoint, many - if not all - beliefs are centered on the idea that there is a greater power, and that we, as believers, followers, humans, disciples, etc. are to keep that in mind while going about our lives. We are not to feel entitled to everything the world has to offer, but to feel thankful when we are blessed with good things and experiences, and to reflect spiritually - internally - when those things or experiences are not so good.

If the intent of old Norm's book is to make people realize that sometimes we are not in control, I've already figured that out, thank you. I'm hoping I can take something more than that from this collection of three books in one, though. In the first few pages of The Power of Positive Thinking, Dr. Peale declares that the answer to diminishing self-doubt is to fill those doubt-filled spaces with God's love, support, and dependability.

Now I understand this idea...really, I do, but doesn't this thought process also give away responsibility for one's successes and failures? If I put God into every nook and cranny of my being, the way I'm told to, does that really solve my feelings of insecurity? It is my belief that we are ever-changing individuals - and we are intended to be this way. I think, for instance, that I could be a more generous, giving person...doing more to impact the lives of people who are less fortunate than I. But (unless I'm taking Dr. Peale's thoughts too literally) if I just fill this shortcoming with the knowledge that God accepts me as I am, does that really help me to become a better person?

Perhaps I haven't read far enough into this book yet. Maybe there are more defined, proactive steps to bettering myself than I have found in my initial 26 pages of reading. So far, though, I find myself a little doubtful that this book will be the magic tool I use to improve my quality of life.