You Can't Always Get What You Want.....so pee on the floor

The Terrible Two's. The biggest farce I've ever heard. There is no such thing as the terrible two's. I believed we had cleared a hurdle when Elijah turned three last December. We said, "Terrible two's? That was easy!" He he he. No. Folks, if you have not had a child reach the age of three yet...fasten your seat belts! Now don't get me wrong here...it's not "terrible" as the phrase goes. It is, however, the most challenging time of our lives. It's like the most difficult test we had in school. You know that if you choose 'B' and the correct answer is 'C', it could ruin your semester and make the rest of your college career more difficult. So the decision on what action to take when your three-year old is sitting on the floor crying and screaming because he does not want to brush his teeth is a BIG decision!! Hard to believe...but true!

Elijah woke up this morning in a great mood. He knew that Grandpa was picking him up early from school to take him bike riding. He knew that tomorrow there is no school because he is going to see Thomas the Tank Engine live with his cousins. Life was good. Until he realized he was three. Deb was washing him with a washcloth because he sweated during the night and she was freshening his up for the day. He decided he didn't want to be fresh for the day so he sat on the floor and threw a tantrum. He was screaming and yelling LONG after Deb left the bathroom and returned to our bed. I jumped in the shower. The best thing to do is let him have it out. Trying to talk and reason with him makes it worse. So I am in the shower and I hear his crying getting closer to my bathroom door. My head is full of shampoo and I hear Deb calling me, "Jord - big problem here. I am feeding Hannah and Elijah has to go potty." Now, about a month ago, Elijah started going potty standing up at home. He only has to sit down when he has to...well...you know...sit down. So he stands all the time at the toilet. So I call out to Elijah to come into the bathroom and go potty. He's not having it. Already in a tantrum from earlier, he is standing outside the bathroom door screaming that he wants to be picked up and placed on the potty. Not happening. Now I am rinsing my hair of the shampoo. All I hear over the running water is Deb saying, "GO IN THE BATHROOM AND STAND AT THE POTTY" and Elijah screaming, "NO!" Well, I turn the water off and step foot out of the stall and...you guessed it...he had stood there outside the bathroom door and completely peed on himself and made a massive "morning pee" puddle. Can you believe this? He gets his stubborn attitude from Mommy. I mean, this boy chose to stand there and pee on his favorite Superman PJ's then listen to his parents and walk 10 steps to the toilet. So, I clean him all up and he's still pissed off, like its our fault that he went peepee on himself.

"Elijah, next time you have to go potty, go to the toilet and pull down your pants like you always do, and go potty in the toilet."

"NO!"

"Do you want to act like a baby?"

"NO! I'm not a BABY!"

"Then go potty in the toilet!"

"NO!"

You see where this is going. Stubborn...stubborn...stubborn.

By the time we got to school he was happy as a kid could be. He was running around and saying hello to everyone. Ugggh. Another learning experience.

This is Elijah's last week of school. Summer camp at the JCC starts next Monday.

I'm going to go potty now. In the toilet.

dad