9.22.2009

The Poop Alligators

Palmer is doing awesome when it comes to peeing in the potty chair (or outside). He just goes without even telling you that he needs to. He is pretty much potty trained. On the other hand the kid REFUSES to poop on the pot.

We have tried everything. We have tried rewards, bribes, threats, spankings, making him clean it up himself, forcing him to sit for extended periods of time, and consistently getting him to sit and try. In his lifetime he has pooped on the potty a total of two times ever and both of those times were by complete accident and he about freaked out.

It has been three months since we began his training and we are at our wit's end. We don't know what to do. We thought that if we just hung in there it would just occur to him one day. We are no longer so sure. Literally he will sit on the pot forever and cry pretty much the entire time just to finally be allowed to get up and poop immediately in his pants or sometimes on the floor. ARGH!!

During one of the "force him to sit on the pot b/c we know he has to poop" episodes Bret tried to talk to him about why he wouldn't poop on the pot. Bret asked if he was afraid to poop in the potty and Palmer said yes. Bret asked what he was a afraid of and his response was the alligators are going to get him. WTH?!?

During another one of these conversations we talked about where everyone poops. I asked him where daddy poops and he said "in the potty", where does Emily poop and he said "in the potty". I then asked him where does mommy poop and he said "mommy poops?" with a very serious incredulous face that only a two year old can produce. Ah the mysteries that surround mommies.

I have read everything I can get my hands on about potty training. (For you not yet mommies it is incredible the number of articles, books, videos, etc made that tries to teach you how to potty train your child) and pretty much the conclusion is the same....he will get it in time or when he is ready. I know they say boys are harder and that poop is just harder but we are so tired of trying. He is by far one of the most stubborn kids I have ever met. There is no getting around the fact that we cannot force him to poop in the potty chair and that when he is good and ready he will go forth and poop.

5 comments:

LegalMist said...

For the longest time, my little guy would poop in the potty chair but not in a real toilet. Something about the long drop to the water and the sound it made startled him.

Then one day he pooped in the potty chair and didn't tell us, so we didn't clean it right away, and then we discovered it because the dog was making a lot of noise while eating the poo, which grossed us all out to no end, and after that my little guy pooped in the real toilet every time.

Not that I'm recommending this as a training method, mind you. I just thought it was funny (if a bit disgusting).

countrygirl50 said...

What a funny story. Hopefully he will get over his fear soon. Good luck!

Celeste said...

I think he mentioned something very important.. he is afraid of the poop alligator. I wonder if you asked him where he had heard of this or why he was afraid of the alligator. Spanking sure wont work I am sure. I really think he is afraid of something or of being on the toilet in that he holds it in that as soon as he stands up he poops. Ask him about this if you havenot. Good luck!!

Adriana said...

Bret has tried to talk to Palmer about the poop alligators a couple of times but if you've ever tried to have a conversation with a 2 year old you understand it still doesn't make any sense.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...that is interesting.