Adventures in Potty Training

While I was a sister to 2 younger sisters and 1 younger brother, I don't remember them being potty trained. I remember a lot of things about their childhood but all I remember about potty training was they were in diapers and then they weren't. So potty training my 3 year old, Jackson, has been an adventure (a gross one!) to say the least. And I'm afraid its only just begun. Now new mothers, don't read this and think "oh no, my child is going to be impossible to potty train". Everyone I've talked to (especially mother's of little girls.. because that's all I really know) didn't really have a fight with it. But what I have been reading is little boys are the potty training problems. anyway....

My adventure began sometime after Jackson's 3rd birthday (in August), it was brought to my attention that it was "time"! That thought alone scared me. I was definitely not ready for this... So we start putting him on the potty, slowing introducing it. He would only go a little bit but it was something. Then one day, I knew he had to go Poo so i sat him on there for a little while with a book (this is the reason men spend so much time reading on the toilet, because their mothers made them do it when they were potty training). He finally went! I was so excited! I gave him a lollipop (I keep a bag of dum dums in the bathroom), we put a star on the star chart, I sang a song. But he was so incredibly freaked out by the whole idea of pooping in the potty that he hasn't done it again.

He's becoming a pro at peeing in the potty! He holds it all night, he's holding in between potty breaks, we are getting somewhere but the poo... I just can't handle this.... I can't let him in the backyard to play if he hasn't gone because he will hide behind a bush and go in his pants (he's exclusively in underwear now) or he will hide under the table and go, and the past two mornings he woke up before me and went in his bed. I am officially tired of cleaning sheets, floors, underwear, pants and shoes and the list goes on, oh the things my child has ruined! At least hes not spreading it all over the room before I get in there, like he use to do. This things don't frustrate me nearly as much as when I'm cleaning his legs and bottom, he starts instructing me on what "I need to do next"... such as "mommy put me in the shower" "mommy clean it up" UM EXCUSE ME! I don't know how well my pride can handle being bossed around by a 3 year old. I've taken to making him help me clean it up and he has to wash it off (with my supervision of course) But I'm at the point, you're old enough to help me with your disgusting mess!

I have tried reasoning with him, I have tried bribing him, I have tried sitting him on the potty for half the day... I am so tired of cleaning poo.... I guess my many years working in the back of a veterinarian office has trained me on dealing with this current situation. Everyone keeps telling me there is a light at the end of the tunnel, I'm definitely in the tunnel but I don't see the light yet!