Nana Holds

Thanks so much for joining me for a little break today at Chicklit Power! It’s so good to be sharing coffee and memories with you! Grab your coffee and come on in. We left off about our discussion of a backpack and matching lunch pail for big boy school!

So that’s how we’d start the day, discussing which backpack and matching lunc pail he was going to get when he was all potty trained and ready for big boy school. Then I’d put a pull-up on him, get him dressed and give him kisses with a reminder to tell Nana when he had to go potty so we could begin to prepare for big boy school.

And we were also using one other bribery tool: coins! He loves coins. Every time he made bubbles, he would get to take two coins out of the little glass jar that I set on the tank of the toilet. Then he would run into his room to add his two coins to his piggy bank. But the real bribe was for him to go number 2 in the potty! We told him he could have a whole handful of coins out of Papa’s bank when he pooped in the potty.

It’s funny how that started, too, now that I think about it. He used to see Papa’s change in his bank and he’d just stick his hand in it and take some change without asking. Well, rather than scold him, we told him every time he went poo-poo in the potty, we’d let him come into Papa’s closet and take a big handful of coin out of his bank. (That way he earned the money and wasn’t just taking it!)

It took what felt like a long time – a few weeks but I’ll never forget the first time he did it. He was acting like he had the urge so I set him on the potty and told him I’d be right back. I ran upstairs for something – I don’t even remember now – and I had just made it into my bathroom and I heard: NAAAAAAAAANA! I did it. I went poo-poo in the potty! I ran downstairs so fast I just know I missed every second step and flew into the bathroom to verify his announcement!

Sure enough, there it was! Holy cow! It really worked and it continued to work. I love rewinding the memories of when he would get to go into papa’s closet and reach for his bank and take a handful of coins.

We’d pick up Papa’s bank together, put it on the floor, and Bryden would kneel down on his knees and get as comfortable as he could stand it. Then he would stick his whole hand in there, and dig ever so deeply into at least eight inches of coins – I’ve had to fill it three times – and he’d bring his hand up ever so slowly so as not to lose any of his hard-earned coins.

Before they began to spill, I’d say, “Use both hands so you don’t lose any.”

He’d put his other hand right next to the coin-packed one and let a few spill into his empty hand and they we would scurry into his room to transfer the coins into his very own piggy bank!

Oh, I treasure those moments of turning potty-training into praise! I marvel at the gift of second chances, of unexpected opportunities for do-overs! We serve a loving and creative God!

Join me tomorrow for our Power Friday!

Evinda

Nana Holds!

Thanks so much for joining me for a little break today at Coffee Hour. Grab your coffee and come on in.

As the days passed and we got into “our” routine again, I began to relax a bit with him, and he with me. I realized that God would reveal whatever the “something keeping me from something” was, but it would come easier if I didn’t let it rent so much space in my head as that would take me away from what He’s actually trying to accomplish in me and through me as I learn to put into action all the things I’ve learned and put to rest all that I’ve unlearned!

See, with the visits to others, potty-training was sort of put on hold so with no immediate visit away from home for at least three weeks, I began to give this chore a lot more dedication and yet, I was learning not to be so serious at the same time.

I’m not sure how the subject came up, but I’m pretty sure it was in the midst of another accident, and this one was a poopy one and George was the lucky one on cleanup at that moment! In his frustration, he brought up big boy school came and told him, “How am I going to take you to big boy school if you keep pooping your pants?”

Well that little seed must have resonated in Bryden’s head and it didn’t take long to root. He kept talking about big boy school. I mean the concept totally got his attention and let me tell you, we took that tool and ran with it as if it were the last football to touch the 100 yard line! Although we did look a bit dorky as we still weren’t quite so sure what we were doing and how we were doing it!

I’d tell him each morning, Bryden’s gonna go to big boy school and Nana and Papa are going to get you a big-boy backpack and a big boy lunch pail. His eyes would get real wide — and he has the most expressive and big brown eyes! And I just love the way he’d repeat it, his pronunciation of “big” incredibly heart-warming as he emphasized his the “b,” nearly sputtering every time because he said it so hard.

And then we’d have a discussion on what type of backpack he wanted for big boy school, and the lunch pail had to match. He was torn between Spiderman, Superman and Sponge Bob and I assured him that when the time came and he was going potty in the toilet all by himself, we’d go and get that backpack and matching lunch pail.

Join me more potty-training praises tomorrow!

Joyfully

Evinda