We’ve Come a Long Way in Two Years

By Betsy Rosso

Celebrating Zoe’s fifth birthday takes me back two years ago to when our potty saga began.

We had planned to begin potty training in earnest when Zoe turned three, and I attended a workshop taught by a local developmental psychologist to get tips on how to make the process as painless as possible. One tip she offered was to space potty training six to eight weeks away from major life events, like moving or starting a new school or anything traumatic in the family. Zoe was scheduled to have eye surgery two weeks after her birthday, which seemed like a major event, so we postponed training until June.

If I had known then what I know now, we could have saved ourselves a lot of heartache and many loads of laundry. But I think it all turned out OK. We ended up back at our wonderful co-op preschool, we got to know a terrific doctor and delightful physical therapist, and we learned a lot about the digestive system. I’m also thankful that our experience has been able to help others.

I got an email today from an acquaintance—someone I recently met professionally. After we met we became Facebook friends and she started reading my posts about It’s No Accident and bought the book. Here’s what she wrote: “My daughter usually pees in bed and we have been having her go to the bathroom every two hours [during the day] like the book says to do and she has been dry for three nights. I know this is just a start and things can take an odd turn. But I just wanted to thank you for publicizing and sharing your story.”

It makes me happy that our sharing our story, which is not always easy to share, is making a difference for other kids and other families and that they might find relief from their problems sooner rather than later and with less heartache.

It also makes me happy that I took Zoe on a field trip today for her birthday. We were in the car for more than an hour and a half each way. A year ago, I would have put her in a pull-up for the drive or expect that she’d ask to stop almost as soon as we started driving. Instead, she drew pictures in the car and read me a story. She did ask a couple or 20 times if we were almost there, but she didn’t need to use the bathroom. When we arrived she was eager to start playing, and I made us take a pit stop in the restroom. But she was fine. I am so proud of her and how far she’s come. And proud of us for getting there with her.