Watch The Throne: Potty Training pt. 8- Communication

A few years ago before I was anywhere close to being a parent, I used to read a blog by my high school football strength and conditioning coach.  He was writing about one of his daughters undergoing the potty training process.  He talked about how before, she used to eat with her hands and as soon as she got potty trained she stopped doing that as well as a myriad of other changes that came along with it.  He used his daughter’s overcoming potty training as a parallel that once people clear one major milestone, many other habits and characteristics change as well because you have changed.  I thought about that because it was absolutely true.

Four years later, I can’t help but think about that post.  As my daughter is in the midst of the journey that is potty training, she is evolving herself.  First, she is slowly getting it.  She is having less accidents.  On Sunday, she only had two accidents: one in the morning and one at night.  Monday, we had no accidents.  All parents can understand my elation on that.

The major change in Cydney has been her ability to communicate.  At first, Cydney would just get upset when she had an accident.  Within a few days, she was telling me “Daddy, I went stinky!  Say EEW!” (Going stinky is what she calls number 1)  A week into it, “Daddy, I went Good Lord!” Good Lord=number 2 because of its smell I would say that.  She would also say “Daddy! Say Oh Jesus!” which is my other response to having to change a number two that didn’t make it to the potty.  Two weeks in, and most of the time she tells me that she lets me know when she has to go before she does.  After she goes, she tells me its my turn, so now I have to drink plenty of fluid and go with her.

Her advancement in communicating isn’t just in telling me she has to potty.  She lets me know what she thinks or wants with such clarity now.  She has always been opinionated.  As opposed to showing me what she wants, she tells me articulately.  I asked her on Monday “What do you want to do today?”  She responded “I want to go on the swings and the slide.” referring to me taking her to the park.  “I asked her yesterday what would she like to do and she responded “I want to go to school and the studio!”  When she wants to use my phone and call someone, she lets me know who she would like to speak to.

Whether two or in your forties, when a milestone is reached it is an upgrade.  In order to clear obstacles and accomplish something large takes application of many different skills.  As a result, we look at life and ourselves different.  Your instincts develop and that feeling of triumph makes us all want to change many aspects because that feeling is such a high we want to do it again and again.  I think that is why it is a part of human nature to want to constantly learn new things and continue to evolve.  Within the last week, a lot of things have changed in my own life.  It has made me look at my approach in my personal and professional life and do things differently.  Changing my career has made me handle everyday tasks differently.  Looking back at my personal life has allowed me to analyze past circumstances realize that I am at a completely different phase in life.  It has all increased my faith and thanks to potty training, I have evolved and have more patience.  Its amazing while teaching a child, they wind up teaching you a thing or two as well.