Mama, I Need a Challenge!

Alex has been backsliding on potty training lately. The other day, he received a prize from his Abuela. It was Ron Hover, the heliciopter from 'Cars' and Alex just loves him. Still, he's been neglecting his potty training. He's been skipping using it in the morning, arguing to stay in his overnight diaper. He's even gone back to accidents. I was feeling rather glum over this and had a really bad reaction towards him on Tuesday.

I decided to regroup and review. What was it that Alex had accomplished in Big Boy Boot Camp, now in its second month? Well, frankly, a lot. He sleeps in the Big Boy bed all the time now. He naps more times than not. He rarely wakes in the middle of the night any longer. The bottle is a distant memory. He uses the potty for pee and even wants to stand while using it. He doesn't gripe and run away when I ask him to clean up now. Instead, I've even found toys put away in the wrong places - indicating that he's cleaning up some toys when I'm not looking.

Dressing himself isn't going well. It's proving too difficult for him to do still. At least, it's too hard to dress himself from head to toe.

I realized that Alex may be getting bored with the categories he aced within two weeks and is getting discouraged by what's left, especially using public toilets and pooping in the potty.

On Monday, he had insisted on carrying his own plate to the table for a meal. On Tuesday, when I'd really been angry over a poop accident, it occurred to me to give him some more challenges. I called him to the kitchen gate while I was cooking dinner and gave him dishes to set out on the table. Piece-by-piece, he carefully set the whole table with very little direction. He positively beamed with pride. I told him that he did such a good job, that it could be his own chore from now on.

I decided to try some NickJr.com lesson plans. I downloaded a letter recognition game and a rhyming storybook. He had to work through them, but he got both activities. This was it, I'm thinking. He needs challenges!

I started a new category, telling him that the Bottle category is done. It is now Alphabet Skills. I showed him that NickJr.com had a certificate that he could win for completing all of the alphabet activity packs they have. For 3 days in a row now, he's been thrilled to get these lessons. He's getting the phonetics of each letter and learning the lower cases of them. He's totally acing rhyming. Today, I gave him a math lesson. He had to match a series of items with the numeral that represented their number. He got all five.

He asks for these lessons now. Sometimes, he's too tired or not into it at that particular moment, but he still goes back to them.  He's had a poop accident since, but no more pee accidents.

Sorry Alex, I had no idea you needed more challenges!

September 9, 2010