All Done!

We are, as Kai would say, "all done" with potty training. Not that I don't anticipate an occasional accident...

It took about 2 weeks of intense restriction of pleasurable activities, but it all finally clicked into place! Kai now goes to the bathroom all by himself, he doesn't even need a reminder anymore. I can't believe it finally happened!!!! And all I had to do was remove all the joy from his life and make earning it back contingent upon successful elimination in the toilet. And we really did...it was a miserable couple of weeks.

At some points, I really worried about whether or not I was doing lasting damage to his psyche. He would wake up sobbing and seem so depressed all day long for days on end. Had it not turned around when it did, I probably would have ended up giving in. I really don't know if I could have lasted another day seeing my happy, sweet boy so sad...devastated...bereft...none of these words seem to be strong enough to capture the despair in his eyes during that struggle.

But, when it was over it was over. It all just came together all of a sudden. He just got it. We have had no serious problems since the day he finally gave in. He had a couple of accidents when he was ill, but that was unavoidable (he was very sick). And, he has stopped expecting to be rewarded every time he goes. I thought that would take months, but he just stopped asking for treats! All on his own! I am still in shock.

"Great Job, Kai"

Kristie