Losing the Battles and the War

This is an old email I sent out a few weeks ago, but it was the spark to starting this blog.

My first attempt at potty training was a dismal failure. No worries... we'll try again later. Well, later has arrived. After weeks of talking about "running out of diapers" and switching to underwear, the day finally arrived. Hannah was wearing her last diaper. She knew the drill. Underwear, foaming soap, smarties - oh, the joys of being a big girl! She'd seen it coming. She'd smiled when we talked about what would happen. And then...

Tears. Tantrums. An unhealthy attachment to a completely soaked diaper that was NOT coming off at any cost. Time went by. She settled down. I finally got the diaper off with a minimum of fuss as we prepared to get dressed. But then the tears and tantrums started again. She hid in her closet. She would not let be put those underwear on her. I know potty training is supposed to be a positive experience and this was anything but, yet how could I just give up after all the prep work I'd done? I mean, this day was a long time coming. However, as I pinned Hannah down and tried to put those underwear on, while she pulled them off and thrashed her legs, (it was a scene right out of Hellen Keller) I realized I was losing the battle. No, not the battle - I was losing the war. Jacob needed his nap. I needed a strong drink. Hannah needed to stop with the screaming, the writhing, the tears. She really, really needed to stop.

Bear in mind, this child has also refused to even sit on the potty. So assuming I did get the underwear to stay on (not looking likely) how on earth was I going to convince her to not only sit on the potty, but also actually pee on it? Alas, I "remembered" we might still have some diapers in her back pack so we found one and put it on. She's almost three. I know people say, "Don't worry. No kid ever goes to kindergarten in diapers!" Yeah, well, they haven't met Hannah.

Right now, she's sitting on the couch reading a book. Her face is swollen from crying. She's still sniffling. And I'm getting ready to unload the box of diapers from Costco that I've had in the trunk of the car all along.