Potty Training Update

Well, in less than one week, Mason is 95% potty trained!!! WooHoo!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! I bought a pack of diapers over one week ago, and I can honestly say that it will be my last! It's a little bittersweet, but I don't think I'll miss them! The only thing we haven't quite accomplished 100% is the poopy in the potty. That part was the hardest part with MacKenzie, so we'll see how it goes with Mason...

So, in my last post I said I would be the judge of who is easier to potty train...boys or girls. I say hands down BOYS!! Of course that may have something to do with Mason being the second child, but I honestly didn't do one thing different with him that I did with MacKenzie. I didn't push either one of them, I didn't try to start them before they were ready, and I rewarded them both the same. I think the biggest different between the two isn't the fact that they're boy/girl or first/second born, but it has more to do with their overall personalities.

You see...when Mason sets his mind on something he is determined to do it and to do it RIGHT. He is an "all or nothing" kinda kid. He is very determined and competitive which can be a good trait, but that also can translate to stubborness at times!! He also is a typical man and likes to be praised and rewarded for anything he does right. :) So, for him to get a Skittle every time he pees in the potty and for him to get all the attention means the world to him! MacKenzie on the other hand, is a little more laid back, a bit of a procrastinator, and has the mindset that she'll do things on her own time, at her own pace. You may think that is stubborn, too, but it's just not the same as Mason. She's just more free-spirited not necessarily stubborn. Also, the reward system didn't work with MacKenzie. I could have given her a whole pack of Skittles or even a new car, but that wasn't going to motivate her to pee in the potty. Instead, she had to be "punished" in some sense. I had to make her clean up her own mess, change her clothes, etc, etc when she had an accident. It was only after I started doing that when she began to get it.

So this experience has taught me a lot about my two children. As easy as it is to compare the two and treat them the same, it's much harder to treat them as two totally different individuals. I've learned what works for one, doesn't always work for the other. Just because one can do it in one week, doesn't mean the other one can. One may be great at one task and the other one may be great at a totally different one. No matter what, I love them both and I hope I can show them that love always!!