It appears that our youngest daughter, now 18 months, will be the easiest to potty train of all of our children. Considering the fact that our oldest children will turn 25 during the next two months, and that we have parented nearly a hundred children, that is impressive. Honestly, I haven’t even tried to potty train her. I brought the potty chair out of the attic, and placed it in the bathroom a few months ago, because our granddaughter who is two has started potty training. Ami follows me into the bathroom and usually sits on the potty chair while she waits for me.

In the evening when I get her ready for her bath, she insists on sitting on the potty before getting into the bathtub. Nearly every time she sits on her potty, she is successful. I think she got the idea from watching our four year old, Ali. She always sits on the potty before getting into the bathtub.

When Amigrace is successful, I clap, praise her, and hold her arms in the air, and say, “tah dah!” “Tah Dah!” has become one of her favorite sayings. She says it after she colors a picture or after she dances. She always throws her arms straight up in the air when she says it. We all laugh and clap and she grins from ear to ear.

Over the years, we have tried giving our children M & M’s or sweet tarts when they use the potty. We have tried star charts to reward and document progress. Twenty years ago, I spent nearly $100 on a Wee Alarm in a desperate attempt to help an older child stop wetting the bed.

Because we live in the country, we made the mistake of teaching a couple of the boys to go outside on a tree. They thought it was great fun and wanted to do it. We thought we had found a successful way to potty train boys, until they indiscriminately used trees in town. OOPS! Red-faced mom tried to explain to little boys that they couldn’t use trees in city parks or next to sidewalks.

After twenty-four years of figuring out how not to do it I think we’ll stick to using the little potty chair in the real bathroom with lots of praise. It is neat that Amigrace initiated the process and wants to do it. She has achieved all of her milestones early so far.

We have many things to thank her birthmom for. Once she knew that she was pregnant she quit smoking, took her prenatal vitamins, and didn't drink. She did all of this knowing that she wouldn't be parenting her daughter, but wanted her to have the best chance at a successful life.

Photo Credit Julia Fuller 2007