Potty Training Toddlers’ Psychology & Emotions by Grandma

If you are first considering potty training your toddler, there are a number of potty training toddlers’ guides available online, including manufacturer websites, blogs, and forums. The issue of emotional readiness is a key factor in deciding whether your toddler is ready to be potty trained. When reading this caveat, which they all seem to stress, I wonder whether they are actually referring to toddlers or their mothers!

In my experience, the subject of potty training my toddler was not one I was particularly enthusiastic. It seemed much easier just to change her diapers, than start worrying about damaging her psychologically. There were warnings that toddlers are somehow emotionally attached to their stool, and that watching it being flushed down the toilet could prove traumatic for some. I kind of wonder if this bond developed due to all the fuss we as mothers make about the whole diaper changing procedure. I recall the difficult times I had just to keep my baby still long enough to remove the soiled diaper, clean her, and then put on a clean one. Trying to balance keeping her still, doing what I needed to do, as well as trying to sound convincingly encouraging that she was being such a good girl for letting mommy change her diaper, was at times very draining. As she grew older, she began to learn how to manipulate me – refusing to stop squirming, even when given her favorite toy.

To me, the potty training toddlers’ stage was one that was somewhat emotionally stressful for me, but not necessarily for my baby. Unfortunately, we mothers are not supposed to allow ourselves to become emotionally challenged when it comes to raising our babies. Nonetheless, I confess, that the potty training toddlers’ stage was one of the most challenging stages of being a mother. Sure, I read some articles by this expert and that expert, but still, I ended up doing what I thought was best for my baby and for me. Of course, almost twenty-six years ago I did not have the benefit of the Internet and all of the great baby Blogs and forums online. Reading those now, I see that sharing experiences with other mothers is a great benefit to parenting. Most of all, emotionally, it shows me now that I was not alone in a lot of my thinking, emotions, and questions regarding my role as a mother. Sure, parenting is one of the most challenging responsibilities that any person can take upon herself, but now there is a lot more support on a wider scale than there was before the Internet. I am not saying that I was completely alone during my parenting years but with the Internet, I could have logged on at any time of day or night and get almost any question answered about parenting, without feeling I am imposing upon another.  If you are active on one or several parenting forums, you see that most members really get a lot of pleasure out of helping out other members. The potty training toddler forums can be a blast – full of encouragement, humor, and good old-fashioned caring.

Written by Brenne Meirowitz, BA, MA, MS
© 2010-2011 Brenne Meirowitz. All Rights Reserved.