More from Potty Training

****** MORE POTTY LANGUAGE.  If you are not comfortable with it, get over it, it's my life right now.****

Luke has done and AWESOME job with potty training.  He really hasn't had very many accidents to speak of and pretty much decided on his own that he was going to go diaper free.  I was expecting him to be very stubborn about the whole process, but he really has done a great job.  All in all, I'm impressed with my son.  He is a tremendous potty trainee.  However, there are a few things that make me say he's not 100% potty trained:

• he's 2...I mean there are not many 2 year old boys, in my career as a teacher, whom are perfectly potty trained.  Since he's 2 he is also very unpredictable/unreliable!
• because he's so young, his little arm does not reach around to his bottom to wipe.  So he still needs help with wiping.
• he also is not tall enough to stand and pee nor is he able to get up onto the potty without his pants falling off.  So he needs direction either getting himself dressed again, or emptying the little potty and washing his hands.
• SOMETIMES he is too busy to stop himself from playing and waits till the ABSOLUTELY last second to tell me he needs to use the bathroom (which leads into this post).

An event at a Dinosaur exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center better explains why I am not completely 100% POSITIVE that he is potty trained:

I meant to send him to the bathroom before we went through the exhibit...

but I forgot!  Mind you, the bathroom is RIGHT BEFORE you ENTER the exhibit.  We were all so exited to see the dinosaurs that I forgot in all the excitement.

I did remember, in the middle of the exhibit, but decided to say to myself, "He's good.  He'll tell me if he has to go." and I vaguely remember thinking that he DOWNED a bottle of water before we got there, but no biggie...he's got this...

So we go through the ENTIRE exhibit

I was just thinking, "We're almost to the end and I need to remember to take him to the bathroom," when I make eye contact with my son.  His face has EMERGENCY, HURRY, I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT, HELP ME, written all over his face.  He says with a concerned  face and a sound of urgency in his voice, "Mommy, Mommy, me need go PEE!!!!" 

"OK, lets go!"

I run back to the stroller to tell my mom I'm taking luke to the bathroom and take care of Carolyn, plus grab I don't know what!  I walk around the corner and there he is...

just standing there peeing...

standing, peeing, making a clicking noise with his mouth and holding his water cup...

we were a few feet to the bathroom...a few feet, and just couldn't make it!  For real!

EMBARRASSMENT flushes over my face because there as an employee from the Museum is sitting right there at the end of the exhibit...watching my every move...wondering how I might handle this.

"Stop peeing Luke!  Stop peeing. STOP!  STOP! STOP!"

crickets...

he just stands there peeing and making that clicking noise with his mouth (he does this when he thinks he's in trouble)...

Usually when I say stop he stops, but as I mentioned before he drank a TON of water before we entered the exhibit and apparently I let him have water DURING the exhibit as well.  What is wrong with me?  I can't even hold it in that long if I drank that much water?!?!?!

So, I think to myself, "Well, he's not stopping.  The man is STILL staring at me, what's his problem? I guess I'll go back to my stroller and get the necessities to clean up the carnage." (don't forget, Luke is STILL peeing). 

I didn't try to carry him off and make it to the bathroom because it would just make a trail to clean up instead of one concentrated area to clean up.

we were INCHES from the tile...

I come back to my son and embarrassment overcomes me and I over react completely.  I'm sure you will NEVER overreact as a parent. 

I change him right then and there and wipe up the pee as best I can all the while scolding Luke for not telling me sooner.  Not yelling, but forcefully scolding, because that man is STILL watching.  Not only is he watching but I hear voices over walkie talkies:
"THE DIRTY AREA IS LOCATED AT THE END OF THE EXHIBIT.  I REPEAT, THE END OF THE EXHIBIT."  
2 other museum employees descend upon the situation, but they were nice enough not to stare at me.

I hear my mother say, "I'm sure this happens 100 times a day."  I'm sure it doesn't mom, but thanks for being in my corner.

I apologize once to the museum people and walk away with my child, completely grossed out, and take him to the bathroom to disinfect his legs and shoes.

I continue scolding him and rubbing his urine scented legs and shoes, kinda hard. 

Poor child just keeps saying, "Ok, Mommy.  I Sorry Mommy. Ok. Ok.  I Sorry."  Poor little guy.  I feel awful now as I type this!

Luckily, my sweet nephew was also with us this day and he always knows how to make me smile and see perspective in such a harmless and sweet natured way.  He comes walking into the bathroom and in my mid sentence he says, "Hi guys.  I just needed to use the bathroom and I came to check on ya too.  I'm so glad we came with you today.  Is everything ok now?"

"Yes, Owen, everything is fine...now."  What a sweetie.

I hugged Luke after I scrubbed him down everywhere and felt like such a failure as a Mother in so many senses.  Luckily, Luke forgave me and it was lunch time!  Food fixes everything.  We had a great rest of the day.  But here is lies another reminder of why my diaper bag is still packed to the max ALL THE TIME...because I can't say he's fully potty trained.

But what a sweet boy...he is only 2:(