I wanted to blog about this for a while, but I wanted to wait until we weathered the storm and I could look back on it and laugh instead of sob and rock back and forth in a corner. I was convinced that this blog would never happen, but the other week, Nathan said the most wonderful words that I have ever heard:
"mom, I peed on potty at school and I tried to poop too,"
It was like music to my ears! There was much rejoicing! You're probably a little confused and possibly scared so let's start from the beginning when preschool nearly killed me.....
ALL summer I stressed about Kindergarten! New school! New procedures! New friends! New Schedule! Will Syd be okay? Will I be okay? I know practically nothing about what to expect, but I better not give that away! I could freak Syd out! SO MUCH INNER TURMOIL!! Thank goodness for preschool! It's going to be a piece of cake! PIECE. OF. CAKE! I know exactly what to expect! I know the drill! I know the teachers! Nathan knows the drill! He even cried when we dropped off the registerstration papers because he wanted to start school that day! Preschool is gonna be so easy!!
WHEN WILL I LEARN!?! WHY AM I SO STUPID!?! I should know by now that I am always wrong! You all probably figured it out like 10 blog posts ago!
After two years of trying to sneak into Sydney's class, I was surprised that Nathan didn't want me to leave him. Fortunately, some play tools made everything better. I could relax. It was going to be okay (HA! I'm such an idiot!) Sydney and I went off to enjoy the rest of our morning. We were coloring and having a blast when I got a call from Nathan's school.
"Hello, Mrs. Ford? Nathan is fine but his teacher asked me to give you a call. He had a little accident and his shoes got soaked too. He's running around in his socks, but if you want you can drop off shoes, I can take them to his class."
Whaaat!?! Syd and I hopped in the car and flew to the school to deliver his shoes. Then I eventually calmed down and stopped worrying about the long term effects of an embarrassing first day of school. We hung out at a near by park until it was pick up time. The calm feeling did not last.
Nathan was close to the beginning of the line, but dismissed last. His teacher motioned for me to come closer and that's when I saw his wet pair of back up shorts:( He peed himself AGAIN on the playground right before they came inside to leave. I stripped him down, put him in his seat, and silently let the tears fall.
I called my mom and cried. I called my sister and cried. I cried as I messaged my friend who also teaches at his preschool. Full failure mom panic mode seemed like the only way to go after the terrible first first day of school. Have I ruined his life? Will I have to pull him out of preschool? Am I the worst parent ever? They'll never believe that he is potty trained? Will I have to homeschool him and let him pee outside like an animal? Am I the worst mother ever?
We spent the next day talking up how great the school potty was. Poor Sydney had to go on and on about how much she loved peeing on the potty at school. I promised him candy. My mom promised him candy from her office. I vowed to feed him dry cereal for breakfast from now on.
The second day of school, he peed himself. And the next day. And the next. The first 2 months of school, he peed himself at least once a week and he only has school TWO DAYS a week! Syd and I would wait in the parking lot right before pick up and stalk the play ground. Which pair of pants is he wearing? What color did he wear this morning? Are they the same? I think they are the same. Are they? ARE THEY???
Eventually, I gave up trying to get him to go potty on his own at school and some how got him to pee as soon as we got there if I put him on the potty. There may have been some screaming and some forcing him to bend his angry locked body so he would sit down. Then one glorious day in March, he told his teacher that he had to go potty and that he needed some help. After he was done, he came to the bathroom door with one shoe off and one leg of his pants off and his underwear all wrapped around his pants, but he finally peed in the potty at school!
I think we still owe him about 1,000 toys from all our attempts to bribe him to go;)
