The Golden Moment
The Golden Moment
“Joselyn, do you want to go potty before we go back into the pool?” I ask my two year old during the swim break. “No Mommy, I already peed in the pool,” she replies back. I being to instantly feel my face begin turn every shade of red possible. I was the Mom in the beginning stages of potty training. Every mother has been in my shoes at sometime in their parenthood journey. Potty training is one of the biggest obstacles that we as parents face. Therefore, I would like to share the steps I used in my journey on getting my child to that “golden moment.” Telling, showing, and trying are three steps in helping your child to become potty trained.
First, it is important to keep our children interested in their bodies and discuss what each body part does. This is where the first step, telling, comes into place. For instance, explain to them why their diaper is wet and why it needs to be changed. The goal is to get them to understand that going to the bathroom is normal and natural. Therefore, it is important to take advantage of the opportunities to explain how and why we eliminate. “From brushing their teeth to putting on their socks, we model many motor skills for our toddlers. Potty training should be no different,” (, 2006, para. 9). We need to teach by example and keep them involved through the whole process.
Second, it is important that our children feel comfortable and secure while learning to become potty trained. This is where the second step, showing, falls into place. In purchasing a toddler-size potty chair, it will ease the anxiety they may have with the grown-up toilet, such as falling into it. As a parent, we need to convey our expectations in a fun way by making them understand the purpose of the potty chair. Children learn by imitation, so, we need to demonstrate to them by letting them see how we use the grown-up potty ourselves. The showing step is really more about learning than trying. In addition, getting them comfortable
“Joselyn, do you want to go potty before we go back into the pool?” I ask my two year old during the swim break. “No Mommy, I already peed in the pool,” she replies back. I being to instantly feel my face begin turn every shade of red possible. I was the Mom in the beginning stages of potty training. Every mother has been in my shoes at sometime in their parenthood journey. Potty training is one of the biggest obstacles that we as parents face. Therefore, I would like to share the steps I used in my journey on getting my child to that “golden moment.” Telling, showing, and trying are three steps in helping your child to become potty trained.
First, it is important to keep our children interested in their bodies and discuss what each body part does. This is where the first step, telling, comes into place. For instance, explain to them why their diaper is wet and why it needs to be changed. The goal is to get them to understand that going to the bathroom is normal and natural. Therefore, it is important to take advantage of the opportunities to explain how and why we eliminate. “From brushing their teeth to putting on their socks, we model many motor skills for our toddlers. Potty training should be no different,” (, 2006, para. 9). We need to teach by example and keep them involved through the whole process.
Second, it is important that our children feel comfortable and secure while learning to become potty trained. This is where the second step, showing, falls into place. In purchasing a toddler-size potty chair, it will ease the anxiety they may have with the grown-up toilet, such as falling into it. As a parent, we need to convey our expectations in a fun way by making them understand the purpose of the potty chair. Children learn by imitation, so, we need to demonstrate to them by letting them see how we use the grown-up potty ourselves. The showing step is really more about learning than trying. In addition, getting them comfortable