When you have a baby you gaze upon their tiny face and what you see is the very essence of innocence. Their large trusting eyes stare back and you and give no hint that in less than three years they will be capable of looking right at you and telling you bald-faced LIES. For there are no more untrustworthy beings on Earth than the small child who is learning to use the potty.
Last
month I was passing through the living room when I spotted my three-year-old
crouching in the corner. He was clearly, well let me just say, straining.
I dropped the laundry I was carrying and rushed over towards my squatting kiddo. I crouched down in front of him and asked intently,
"Honey? Are
you pooping?"
And what did he do? My beloved son, light of my life, flesh of my flesh, looked directly into my face and responded,
"No
Mommy, I am not."
For the record -- this was a lie.
My
child was also lying when, in the following weeks, he answered these subsequent
questions:
"Do
you need to use the potty before we get in the car?"
"NO."
"Are you wet from the grass or did you have an accident?"
"From the grass."
"Are you SURE you don't have to go?"
"Yes. I'm totally sure."
Kids transitioning out of diapers sense from their parents (correctly) that there is a goal we want them to attain. The result is that, at times, their instinct is to tell us whatever they think we want to hear rather than providing, you know, the actual truth.
So I
advise you to make it clear to your kiddos that you are both on the same side
and to reinforce that potty learning is a process and that you expect some
accidents along the way. Understand that when you quiz kids about their
bathroom needs that they may not be able to articulate them accurately. And,
most importantly, when you ask them if they need to go and they tell you they
don't, take them to the bathroom anyway! Because the simple fact is that
baby whose innocent eyes you gazed in is now a potty trainer -- and he might
just be straight-up lyin'.
