How to Fish a Matchbox Car Out of the Toilet Without Using Your Hands

...or, More Adventures in Potty Training.

I love my Facebook family. They can be counted on for a range of advice, from the ridiculous to the sublime on most subjects. Last week we decided to go all out: just put this boy in some underpants and schedule him to go to the bathroom. Things went pretty well most of the day, with a couple of accidents. But a week later, he just refuses to ask to use the bathroom. He will go in his pants and tell me it's "time to change the diaper."

A few friends had a great suggestion: try leaving him without anything at all on - i.e. no pull up, no underpants, nothing. This sounds like it would work. Genetics alone says that my kids should love to run around naked. In fact, one of his sister's daycare teachers complained once that she was getting completely naked to use the bathroom at school. It was pretty funny, especially when I had to remind her that she was the teacher and it was her classroom. Anyway, Gavin was not having any of it. He hates to be naked. He always asks to put clothes on. If it weren't for the pronounced family resemblance, I would wonder if they gave me someone else's kid at the hospital...

Then we tried to get him to pee outside. He freaked out. He refused to pee outside, and ran inside to the bathroom to use it. Civilized? Maybe. But this will not help him on J'Ouvert morning. This is your mom looking out for your future, kid.

So we're trucking along, and hope that eventually this toilet thing will stick. I am not terribly hopeful.


Oh, and about fishing matchbox cars out of the toilet? He had one in his hand when he went... and it fell in. I refused to touch it, but futilely tried to fish it out with the toilet brush. He looked at me and said, "I get it." And reached in with his little hand and swiped it. I ran it under the hot water and cleaned it (and his hand!). And that is how you fish a matchbox car out of a toilet without using your (own) hands.