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Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Joy


Christmas is a joyful time of year.



Right?


Sometimes it has to be sought after.


Earnestly.


Example:
Ty decided that he didn't feel like using the toilet. So Mom and Dad spent days changing his pants and doing laundry. We even had to make a run home in the middle of church. We are talking 6+ times a day. And I'm not just talking wet undies (if you catch my drift...)

Obviously very frustrated with this, we tried everything. Half hour time outs in his bedroom for every accident. Providing him with Astro blaster guns so he wouldn't be scared in the bathroom. Accompaniying him every time he went to keep him company. Pep talks. Sticker charts. Nothing seemed to be working.

So we threatened diapers. He wasn't happy about it, but we told him if he was going to act like a baby, he was going to have to wear diapers like a baby.

When I fianlly had to pull the diaper out and put it on him, he was spitting mad. I'm not exactly sure how I got it on him, because he certainly didn't hold still for it. And then, like a sixteen year old girl he yelled:

"Ashlynn and Briggs are going to think I'm FAT!"


Well, the diaper didn't even work. Everytime I turned around, he would take it off and he continued to pee and poop all over the place.

Finally I had an epiphany. When we were trying to get him to go to nursery and preschool (yes. everything is difficult with Ty) we used video games to bribe him and they worked like a charm. But they had to be used in the right way.

You see, we've been taking away the video games and computer when he had accidents. I don't think he's played anything for weeks. But I remembered that with nursery and preschool we offered him a video game session at the end of the day if he went to nursery or school with out throwing tantrums.

So yesterday we told him he could play a half hour of Wii at night if he had no accidents all day.

Obviously Mario Kart was the right motivator, because he went all day completely dry.

Oh Joy...

4 comments:

Lisa Henderson said...

Oh my goodness that would be so frustrating! Any reason why he started having accidents again? I am so excited for this weekend! Cant wait to see you all!

Annessa said...

Ah, the joy of positive reinforcement! Welcome to the fan club - and, oh, it'll keep you creative as a parent, too, finding inexpensive "reinforcers". Congratulate yourself for figuring it out this early in the game and in having a bright child!

Mark and/or Lisa said...

That is so funny and several different levels.

and your secret word generator below is asking me to type the word "hutfesy"... for some reason I like the sound of that... I think that will be Lis' new nickname.

april said...

that was fun to read. :)
my baby boy is 18 months now and doesn't even seem to be aware of the bathroom. Gwenny was totally done by now and Addie was pretty young too.
I've always heard that boys are tricky -- so we shall see. :)