Parenting Principles from Potty-Training

Last week I started trying to potty train Alexa...again. See, I tried back in May for a day and a half and promptly gave up deciding between James being 2 months old and our moving plans, diapers would just be easier for a while longer.

So I began again, really going at it Wednesday with a half day of work on Tuesday. So far I have decided/learned a few things as a parent through this whole experience:

1. Potty training is the WORST!!

2. It's going to take Alexa more than a half a day or a week to really get it down, no matter how much prep or research I do, but I really hope less than 2.5 years like I've heard of it taking other kiddos.

3. You get what you deserve as a parent, I suppose...so over breakfast I bestowed "A Mother's Curse" upon Alexa to have an extremely strong-willed child when she becomes a mom. I maybe a bad mom now, but it made me feel a lot better!

4. Sometimes you have to stick to your guns and really drive a point home, like no biting, even when potty-training.

5. And sometimes you have to let things go and at 5 o' clock, after cleaning up way too many accidents, put the kiddo in a diaper, really laugh with your girl, go on a walk as a family, and just begin fresh tomorrow.

6. How quickly your child toilet trains is not a reflection of your ability to parent said child...I just need to repeat this to myself 80 times a day.

7. There are far more important things than potty-training, like getting your son sealed to you on Saturday. In the big scheme of things, this little challenge really doesn't matter at all -- assuming that I use it to shape mine and my daughter's character in the best way possible.

8. It's far more important what comes out of my mouth than what comes out of Alexa's bum...and where whatever comes out ends up.

And just to inspire us all this week, a couple quotes I really like!

(All these are pinned, with sources, on my Wordy Pinterest Board -- the embed feature was not working)