In January, right after my son Holden turned 3, we decided to potty train him. He was showing every sign of being ready. He's incredibly verbal. He knows how to tell us when he has to go. Hell, he'll pee on demand for a piece of candy corn. (Don't judge me!) So we ditched the diapers and went for it.
On Day Two, I walked into the living room and discovered (through nose power) that Holden had pooped and went foraging for treasure in his underwear. I controlled my gag reflex, cleaned the kid up, and we discussed an important Rule of Poo: Don't put your hands in your tushie. We'll call this the Second Rule of Poo.
On Day Three, I walked into the boys' bedroom and discovered an even bigger mess. Not only had Holden ignored the Second Rule of Poo, he had smeared it all over his bed, his stuffed animals, and down the track of his plastic Thomas the Train set. Apparently he thought a nice poo slalom would be exciting for Thomas and Percy and anyone else unfortunate enough to visit the Island of Sodor that evening. After a lot of scrubbing, some bleach, a shower and a lot of gagging, we discussed the Third Rule of Poo: Keep it in the Pull Up, and it's corollary, "Don't gross out Sir Topham Hat."
Read the rest of The First Rule of Poop at D.C. Metro Moms Blog.
