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Potty training can be a difficult experience for both parent and child.  When done correctly, it can be a moment in time that is looked at as a blessing.  The child feels like a ‘big kid’, the parent gets out of buying diapers!  But, when rushed, it can be a disaster.

Therefore, before even considering the process, ask yourself these questions:

1.  Is this a relatively stress-free time in the family?

Look carefully at your current family situation.  Is there extra time?  Are activities at the lowest possible point in time?  No major changes coming soon?  Job stress low?  It is important to have the time and patience to successfully get through potty training with a smile on your face.  So, if you have big projects at work or the distant relative is coming to stay with you for awhile, now may not be the greatest of times to get started.  However, if everything is running smoothly, it may be the perfect time to begin.

2.  Is your child ready?

It use to be that a child was pushed to be potty trained at the age of one.  Those days are long gone, thank goodness.  By nature, a child starts to become interested around the age of two.  However, each child is different and the final decision as to when to try and use the potty is strictly between the parent and child.

When a child is ready, they will start to show signs.

Signs of readiness:

·                     Child wanting to wear ‘big kid’ underwear

·                     Keeping their diaper dry for 2 hours

·                     Having predictable bowel movements

·                     Telling you when they have to go

·                     Uncomfortable wearing diapers

·                     Able to pull their own pants up and down

If they show the above signs, it might just be time to give it a shot.

Ready?

·                     Take your child to the store and let them pick out their own potty chair.

·                     Encourage them to decorate it with stickers and drawings to make it feel more like their own.

·                     Start by just letting them sit on it whenever they want, for whatever reason.  They may want to read a book while sitting on their potty; they may also want to use the potty with their diaper on.  Just sitting on it will help them be more comfortable.

·                     Make “potty time” a routine.  Set specific times your child sits on the potty for a few minutes, whether or not they actually use it doesn’t matter.

·                     At other then the designated times, if they show signs of need, rush them to the potty chair and reward them if they successfully used the chair.

·                     Try NOT to get mad when they have an accident.  This process takes time and practice and the children should be rewarded for successes.  Not punished for failures.

·                     When your child does a “poo-poo” in their diapers, help them take it to the potty chair.  That will quietly tell them where the “poo-poo” goes.

After several weeks of success, it may be time to ditch the diapers.  Make this a big event.  Let the child throw them away and let them know they are now a “big” boy or girl.  This is a moment to be celebrated and remember.  Maybe bake a cake and take pictures.

If your child is still in need of night time cover, buy special pull-ups or night time trainers.  They look and feel more like underwear and your child will not feel like they failed at night due to accidents.  Don’t even call them diapers.  They are simply “Night Trainers.”  It is perfectly normal for the nights to take a little longer for the child to gain control over.

This can be a long and difficult process, but it is a huge part of growing up.  Some children take longer than others.  Try not to worry and do not to let anyone comment on the length of training.  Keep in mind that this is equally as stressful for your child as it is for you.

Children grow up so fast and unless unusual circumstances exist, there are no children walking down the aisle to graduate high school wearing diapers!  So, relax!  All things will come in time, including potty training.

At SuperCamp’s summer camp programs, students are told to be someone who can be counted upon, someone who responds.

Ownership is the quality of accountability and responsibility. When you feel a sense of ownership, you give your best efforts and take pride in the results. When you take responsibility for your life, you begin to make things happen. You are in control because you stop blaming things outside yourself for your situation. You can create a huge shift in your life simply by taking ownership of your attitude.

Accountability

Taking ownership is all about accountability, taking ownership of what you do and think—including your mistakes, your excuses, your failures to act, and actions that you’re not very proud of.

Dismantle the word “accountability” and you’ll see that it literally means the ability to be counted on. It means you’re willing to take responsibility for the choices you make. It means accepting responsibility for making change happen, whether good or bad. The bottom line is that whether things go wrong or right, you point to yourself as the cause. You’re accountable.

Why hold yourself accountable? What does accountability do for you? Accountability puts you in control. It allows you to make things happen. It makes you a potent force in your own life.

Accountability is a whole-life concept: You can take ownership of your career, relationships, finances, education, fitness—everything that’s important to you. You can create a massive shift in your life simply by taking ownership of your attitude. Accountability puts you in control—and being in control makes you feel powerful and effective.

The buck stops with you

When you pass the buck, you volunteer for powerlessness. You make yourself a passive ingredient in the recipe of your own life. You remove yourself from the equation.

You’ve heard, and probably used, denials of ownership that offer excuses, lay blame elsewhere, or otherwise justify actions that did not produce a favorable outcome: the kids made me late … she didn’t send the report … I would have called, but … etc. Denying responsibility doesn’t make the problem go away, and it may even make you look unreliable and even dishonest. Although denial might take some of the immediate heat off you, it does little to relieve the feelings of guilt and incompetence that come when you know you’ve let someone down.

And that’s the worst part of passing the buck: It erodes your relationships. It marks you as someone who can’t be counted on. To maintain the respect of others and keep your relationships solid, the buck stops with you!

Above the line? Or below the line?

To illustrate the key of Ownership in our summer camp and school programs, we talk about playing above the line or below the line. Here’s what it looks like:

Above the Line: Choices~Accountability~Freedom~Responsibility~Solutions~Willingess

Below the line: Laying Blame~Justification~Giving Up~Denial~Reasons

When you’re playing above the line, you’re taking responsibility, being accountable for your actions, and looking for solutions. You’re taking ownership. Playing above the line wins you freedom, trust, and success. Above the line, you’re not a victim of circumstances because you determine how you’ll respond to them.

When you’re playing below the line, you’re blaming others for your mistakes, justifying your actions, or simply denying them. Below the line, you act as if circumstances are beyond your control—it’s not your fault, there’s nothing you can do about it. You live in complacency and inaction.

To understand the significance of the line in your life, think about some recent actions and decide whether your response was above the line or below the line. Did you miss a deadline? Were you late for a meeting? Did you take responsibility—or make excuses?

When you own your actions and attitude you can fix mistakes and overcome failures, you have the power to repair damaged relationships, and you experience a surge of potency and a sense of pride.

Affirmations for OWNERSHIP:

* I am accountable for my actions.

* I take responsibility.

* I see what needs to be done, and do it.

“People think responsibility is hard to bear. It’s not. I think that sometimes it is the absence of responsibility that is harder to bear. You have a great feeling of impotence.” —Henry Kissinger