Stubborn Boys: Please No Potty, Mommy (part 1)

So this is actually an entry I began scribbling away one early morning after a night of frequent feedings by Braylon, but never got around to transferring onto my site. Things have changed since, but I'll write it up anyhow... and perhaps get around to adding the changes later, since in all of 8 minutes I need to leave for yoga (and trust me, after this blog, you'll see why I need to have some me time).

I'll spare you from reading further if you're reading this for a happy-go-lucky entry... Perhaps next time. Not that my boys aren't great boys, but parenting has as of late had rough patches. Pardon me, but I find ranting helps, so bear with me if you're along for the ride. Here goes.

These are small things in the big picture, I know. That I'd like to acknowledge first. And I've always been told not to sweat the small stuff, but I must. Sometimes I feel like I'm not a good mom in ways, as I seem to fall short (no pun intended, if you know how vertically challenged I am) of helping my children overcome certain feats - namely, weaning for Braylon and potty training for Isaiah.

We'll take Isaiah first. For months now, we've been trying to potty train him. He is old enough. He knows what we're asking of him. He fully comprehends what we want him to do. And yet I am met with this stubborn defiance that I can't seem to get around. I've given in to the reward system - of stickers, that is. I've a hard time succumbing to giving treats of any sort, though I now understand those that do. To each their own, though I'd like to think I don't need to follow a Pavlov's dog regime. Regardless, we're not making headway. Not in the least. I ended up giving stickers for just sitting on the potty, so I gave up on that (need to save my sticker reserve for school, anyhow). And he hasn't actually gone in months. So scrap that. He preferred to put the stickers on his hand anyway, rather than the nice chart that we posted in the bathroom for all to view and praise. And what gets me is that he cheers for us when we go, clapping and saying "yeah mommy" whenever we show him how to do it. But he still won't go. I seriously congratulate all moms who get through this stage - what an accomplishment, for real. I myself have no clue when this is going to happen. He is not too young, that I believe, but I'm having a very tough time with this. Stick it out, I know.

Okay, yoga calls so part 2: The Battle of the Bottle will get posted later. Stay tuned... it's juicy (or rather, not... instead, it's actually kind of painful...).