My battle du jour

My final attempt, my piece-d-resistance, my swan song, my grand finale of toilet training is not going well. She has No. 1's sorted, even dry at night, which is ridiculous for a two year old, but in the other department we are going nowhere fast, or, rather going everywhere, except.

She's too sly to be obvious, too female to be predictable, too perverse to follow a sticker chart, and she's too manipulative to be bribed - I mean, I find myself dazed and confused, giving her the marshmallow anyway and sometimes even one more for such a comprehensive and well concluded argument. 

I am one of 'those mothers' whom started mothering with actual cloth nappies that I'd learnt to origami-ninja-fold around the newborn without even using a pin, which was then covered in a brown handspun handknitted woollen pilcher that matted up like a felt cushion after a few washes. Everything and I mean everything shot out the sides, but the rows of pink rimmed naps flapping in the wind on my washing line felt very pioneering. I moved into reuseables - Kushies, then Fuzzy Buns and Honey Child (which were great - highly recommend), with a few supplements of nappy shaped recycled paper Moltex Eco (bury them in your own garden if you fancy). But oh how the mighty have fallen, today I pulled out of my handbag a barbie infested pink Huggies pull-up. Wow, thats why you never ever say never when it comes to parenting. 

We started toilet training great guns with this child by embracing our apple-given technology - the Iphone. She only got to play with it when on the potty. Fabulous plan, probably why she is dry, but absolutely not going there when she insists on the big girl toilet. Not going fishing for Iphones.

After 7 and half years of predominantly cloth nappies, and in total up to 3years toilet training, I am very much looking forward to putting all naps behind me. I am resorting to extreme measures to hasten the date - for example, last night we had a lovely family discussion around the dinner table about Tenemus. (If you want to feel icky, then Wiki that one). I'm hoping information is power. 

I'm especially looking forward to not scrubbing and disinfecting floors, following a child who likes to dress herself but is not partial to undies. And I am very very much looking forward to the day when I no longer find myself walking around town, opening my handbag to be greeted by the whiff of a pair of dirty gruts. That will be the sweetest smellfree smell of success.