Potty Training

     Potty training is one of my favorite stages as a mom, when it goes smoothly.  My second youngest will be 3 in June, and he has finally decided that its time to train.  So, the peeing thing is not so bad, other than the fact that he wants to "go pee" every 5 minutes all day long.  haha   I bought him gummy bears and gummy worms as a reward when he goes in the toilet.  There has been one successful "poo poo" in the toilet, and several "pee pee".   So, while I get tired of standing there all the times that nothing happens, I sure get excited for him when he makes it happen.  He jumps up and down, excited, runs out to inform everyone of his accomplishments, and then waits for his candy treat.   The other kids begin to smile and gather around him, telling him what a good job he's doing.  It's really sweet.  

     I don't claim to be the best at this, because in my mind, kids should be potty trained right around 2, not close to 3, which is when mine seem to train.  I don't have a ton of patience to put them on a potty chair and make them stay there when they want to get up every 2 seconds and run around - and then, of course, they end up peeing on the floor or couch, etc.  I want a potty chair like they had when my mother was training her children : one with a tray!  Put the kid in it, turn on the t..v to a favorite show, and let them relax enough to do their business.  However, the geniuses of the world today don't seem to think trays are necessary.  I, the mom who has little ones running around my house peeing in the wrong place, do think they are necessary!

     It's funny, too, the way that toddlers have no sense of modesty or embarrassment about their nakedness, or their bathroom habits.  It is the way God intended things to be - no need of shame or embarrassment.  It's something they can do that garnishes praise.  It's the only time that they'll be praised for this accomplishment, too. I mean, once we get past this stage, where they're completely trained, nobody is going to turn to a 10 year old and say "Good job,  you went pee pee!" haha  It just becomes part of daily life - a necessity.   The same could be said for us spiritually.  When we're young Christians, we need to be encouraged, trained to do the things that are to become a necessity to daily life - prayer, reading the Word, worship, going to church, etc.  Why then, do some of us (who should be mature) feel the need to be praised every time we open the Bible outside of church?  Somewhere along the way, we stopped maturing, lost focus on the relationship with Jesus, and made it more important to be noticed by people around us.   Just a thought that occurred to me, thought I'd pass it on. :)