Krista joined our daycare when she was twelve months old. We
realized after several months that she was not only intelligent, but also
opinionated, highly skilled, and extremely independent.
She fit right in with our philosophy and thrived in our
environment. Our approach worked easily and effectively with her, so we were
not completely surprised when at eighteen months, she began resisting having
her diaper changed.
We suggested that if she did not like to have her diaper
changed, then she was going to have to use the toilet.
After a few days of this ongoing interaction, she arrived
one day, walked into the bathroom, moved the stool in front of the toilet,
climbed up and tried to take her diaper off. We worked out the logistics with
her and began our training.
The challenge with her was acknowledging she needed to be in
control, rather than our usual process of taking our training child to the
bathroom on a schedule of timed intervals.
She was able to hold her pee much longer than most children
in training, so we found ourselves being very anxious that she would have
accidents.
If anything, she often sat on the toilet for twenty to
thirty minutes before completing her bathroom task.
Periodically, we found ourselves doubting she could last so
long between trips to the bathroom. It was hard to back off and let her be in
control.
She continued to be in a diaper for her night bedtime, but
never had an accident during naptime and was doing her bowel movements in the
toilet by the third day.
Fortunately, we have had several children over the years
like Krista, both boys and girls.
The keys to our success with children were:
1. Really respecting what we already know about
their personality type and believing it would transfer successfully to one of
the most demanding and mature responsibilities a young child has.
2. Creating an environment where they have clear
guidelines and expectations and their strengths are encouraged and supported.
3.Understanding that when a child is acknowledged as intelligent, you
will often be astonished where their abilities will take them.
4. Not letting the fact that they are learning new
skills faster than expected interfere with their development.
5. Making whatever adjustments necessary to support
them!
Enjoy that challenge every day!
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