Friday, September 14, 2012
What's a Mom to Do at the Park Without a Diaper??
Sometimes being a parent is all about making decisions. And last weekend, I had a tough decision to make. I took Little Buddy running with me in the jogging stroller and then we stopped at a perfect little park. We were the only ones there and I tried something new. I brought a ball with us. We had so much fun rolling the ball down the slide and he even climbed up this little rock wall/slide thing and I was really patting myself on the back. I got exercise and now he was getting exercise too. What a glorious Fall morning!!
Then all of a sudden Little Buddy went to the corner of the Park. "Leave me alone," he yelled. "I'm pooping."
Oh NO!!! Diapers. The one thing I forgot. I had water, snacks, Kleenex, my phone, even diaper wipes. But I immediately knew that I had forgotten diapers. I frantically searched the stroller even though I knew that I wouldn't find even a lonely, single diaper. We were about 20 minutes from the car and another 15 minute car-ride from home. I had to laugh...sometimes being a Mom can be so unglamorous.
Here is the funny part. When you become a Mom, you do something one way and then you just keep on doing it. For my entire career as a Mom, I've handled this the exact same way. I rush them home with a smelly diaper as fast as I can and then change them. I don't know why it's never occurred to me do anything different, but that day I had an inspiration. Why not let him go without a diaper? Even the mere thought of this seemed foreign and wrong to me.
Yet at two and a half, he really was close to being able to be potty-trained anyway and selfishly I just wasn't ready to leave the park yet. It was rare for me to spend time alone with Little Buddy and this was the most stress-free time I'd had in weeks. I decided to do the unthinkable: let him go WITHOUT a diaper. Or underwear. I simply took off his poopy diaper and then just simply didn't put a diaper back on over his bare little bottom. I just pulled up his pants and then I told him he could keep playing. He was very confused at first, but once he realized it was okay, he immediately embraced this concept. It was definitely the first time in his young life that he was allowed to play or do ANYTHING without a diaper and he was LOVING it!
Yet at two and a half, he really was close to being able to be potty-trained anyway and selfishly I just wasn't ready to leave the park yet. It was rare for me to spend time alone with Little Buddy and this was the most stress-free time I'd had in weeks. I decided to do the unthinkable: let him go WITHOUT a diaper. Or underwear. I simply took off his poopy diaper and then just simply didn't put a diaper back on over his bare little bottom. I just pulled up his pants and then I told him he could keep playing. He was very confused at first, but once he realized it was okay, he immediately embraced this concept. It was definitely the first time in his young life that he was allowed to play or do ANYTHING without a diaper and he was LOVING it!
As for me, it was strangely liberating. Sometimes life is so rigid that I forget that I have a lot of power as a Mom. I can make the decision that if I have the guts, I can allow my son to "Go Commando" at the park so that we can enjoy another twenty minutes. No one is going to run along and scream at me to put a diaper on my son. First of all, they won't even know. And secondly, I'm his Mom! There is no law that says your Little Buddy must wear a diaper at all times. And it felt wonderful to break the rules!
In retrospect, I'm sure other Moms do this all the time, but it was a first for me. And I'm happy to report that he did fine and made it all the way home without an accident and was very proud of himself. He must have told me 15 times, "I'm not pooping, Mom!"
So now I guess it's time to officially potty-train. Heh. We'll see.
On a different note, I would be thrilled if you would check out my new book! I teamed up with former Kindergarten teacher, Susan Case, and this summer we released The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble, and Motivated to Learn. If you have ever tried to cook dinner while your kid clings to your leg and cries, this is the book for you! We give you a Mom's point of view and a teacher's point of view, so that you can do activities that not only keep the kids busy, but also keep them motivated to learn and develop their natural curiosity. Kids behave better when they are given challenging projects to work on, which will in turn give you more free time to do the things you really need to do, like washing dishes, paying bills, and relaxing so that you can be a better Mom!
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Great blog, I just found it today. It wouldn't have occurred to me to let him go without at diaper, isn't that strange? I guess sometimes we get so caught up in what is 'meant' to be that we forget to ask ourselves why.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear that! I thought maybe I was the only one who wouldn't automatically think of that!! :-)
DeleteKeep rockin'! You know what I was thinking: depending on the consistency of the poop, I would have found a napkin or some wipes, reached in there and grabbed the "lump," thrown it out, and voila! Still-passable diaper! But your solution was just as good. And you're right, you're the mom. You can do whatever the heck you want!
ReplyDelete(And as far as the plug for your book at the endof your post, you know how much I truly LOVE your book. I plan to write a blog post about the BEST parenting books ever, and yours will be on the list.)
@Prickly Mom thank you so much! Will you make sure to tell me when you do your post? I want to make sure I pin and share on FB!! And great idea....that would have been a smart move too!!
DeletePS...I tried contacting you on your blog, did you ever get my message?
Been there done that...even with a much younger babe. Lol
ReplyDeleteReally? You're brave!! LOL
DeleteYup, I think it is time, since he was so verbal about NOT going in his pants on the way home! Strike while the iron is hot ..... how cuz he was such a big boy, you got to stay and play, etc,etc. (He knows when he is going, and that = time to train. You can actually wait too long, and it backfires.)
ReplyDelete@Stephanie, we'll see...I tried when we got home but he screamed I asked him if he wanted to sit on the toilet. Stubborn little fella!! :-)
DeleteNope, don't make it a power struggle, but guessing you are really close. BTW, best trick I found, was to pick a few days when you can just hang around, and don't have a lot of appointments or anything, and put him in underwear. Nothing like the feel of pee running down a kids legs to speed things up, lol.
DeleteBeen there, done that.
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