Overcoming Potty Training Resistance
One of the reasons potty training resistance seems so illogical to most of us is we don't remember going through the ordeal ourselves, and unless our parents told us later how things went, we may never know if we resisted the potty or not. Another reason might be that, as adults, we can't quite comprehend why a toddler would put up with carrying a load around in his or her diaper for any longer than is absolutely necessary. So we wait for that golden moment to arrive when the little one recognizes the benefits the potty has to offer, together with the realization that the only good diaper is a dry one.
The Independent Streak - There are a several different reasons behind potty training resistance, and not all of them have something to do with the pot. As any parent knows, there comes a time, usually around the first birthday or perhaps a bit later, when the little one decides there is often something to be gained by being stubborn, or testing Mom or Dad. Refusing to stay on the pot can be such a test. It's a lot more fun putting the parents to the test than sitting nicely on the pot waiting for who knows what to happen. The little one is simply trying to take matters into its own hands, controlling its own destiny in a sense, of course not realizing that learning how to use the potty is a big step towards being able to do just that. Potty training resistance is just one more facet of the youngster's new found independent streak.
Start Them Young, If Possible - One of the more difficult problems parents face is often that of determining exactly when a child is ready for potty training. Just as some little ones grow out of diapers fairly quickly, while others seem bound and determined to reach adulthood before doing so, not all of them are ready to begin learning to use the pot at the same age. In fact, it may be a few months after the first attempt before the toddler is ready to accept the training and get serious about it. As strange as it may seem, the toddler often better knows when the time is right to begin potty training than the parents do.
Sometimes it can be helpful if potty training is undertaken before the infant or toddler starts to develop an independent (or playful, or teasing) streak. It was mentioned above that this behavior sometimes kicks in when the child is around a year old. Many parents start training at the age of 5 or 6 months, recognizing that the challenge lies more in training the infant what to do rather than trying to convince it why the training is so important. Some babies have even successfully completed the course, in the sense they know when it's time to use the potty, by their first birthday though this is somewhat unusual. Most children take a year and a half and even two years to get to the point where they stop soiling or wetting their diapers and are relying entirely on the pot.
No Fast Track Here - It's important for parents to realize that potty training is not something that can be treated as a crash course. If one tries to hurry things along, potty training resistance on the part of the child may well be a result. It's best to let the child proceed at his or her own pace, with encouragement and occasional rewards relied upon to speed up the process a little. Potty training is one of the complexities of life, and to the child one of the mysteries as well, not to mention being a test of patience for the parents.