I Have Nothing to Offer But Blood Oil Sweat and Tears

It’s more than likely that you probably already have some type of structure or routine at home. If you’re not sure you’re probably looking to create one. Life is so fast paced that we almost never get to take things slow, most of the time both parents are working parents and that creates a busy life on its own with that being said we don’t get the chance to slow down!

So what is a rhythm?

A daily rhythm is a basic routine or schedule that creates the framework for your day. Following a daily rhythm and weekly routine or rhythm, can increase productivity and help you focus as you flow from task to task as defined in this great article Rhythm of play . A rhythm solves so many problems from reducing tantrums, anticipation of future activities, ease of transition and learning!

How do you create a rhythm?

I would start by thinking of all the things you already do weekly and daily , writing down a list of everything you currently do. Think of a day to day basis and include daily and weekly chores, morning and evening routines, regularly appointments, running errands, family activities, work, fitness, time to play or school.

You want your rhythm to have a well balance flow meaning you want to follow more energetic activities with restful activities and restful activities with expansive activities.

For example if you’re doing park day you want to do some quiet time at home.

The right rhythm will create a good habit, yes I know that sounds awful because who wants to do the same all boring thing over and over again. The beauty of a rhythm is that you’re not obligated to do each thing by the minute, go with the flow, Life is happening.

Once you have it done you let your daily rhythm sorta become a daily and weekly habit, once it’s there you just let your self unfold around it which will allow you to move/ transition from task to task. This is especially important for kids because they will know what to expect and having a rhythm will allow them to recognize and build self discipline to move on to the next task/activity with ease.

Thinking of it this way, once you no longer have to think about what to do next and you move easily through your day that’s when you know you’ve got the right rhythm.

*each day has a focus/ main activity and each activity changes periodically according to season and enrollment of classes.

Okay, probably the number idk like fifth or six on the list of “I can’t wait moments” for parents is “I can’t wait for him/her to go potty” right? I mean we have, I can’t wait for her to laugh, I can’t wait for her first tooth, I can’t wait for her to eat, I can’t wait for her to crawl, I can’t wait for her to walk, and I can’t wait to stop changing diapers” . I was right…so yeah. I have to be honest I was not in a rush to potty train my daughter at all her dad was and he did. She was 2 years old and 7 months when we kinda cold turkey trained her and I say kinda because we woke up and decided OKAY it’s time, today is the day.

First of all before you decide to start potty training and for it to be effective and save you some angry moments and frustration…don’t rush it and make sure you know she’s ready for it. Some toddlers are ready before their 2nd birthday, some may not be ready until they start preschool. Some signs to look for 1. You notice you’re changing fewer diapers (you don’t buy the super big box anymore) 2. Hiding to pee or poo 3. Pulling at wet/soiled diaper 4. He understands bathroom lingo or copying your behavior 5. She Can follow simple directions 6. Says poopoo and peepee when she already went on her diaper.

Okay back to my story, Day 1…we woke up and decide to JUST do it, plain and simple we got her ready for the day and we didn’t put a diaper on, we told her say pee pee or poopoo if you want to go in the toilet, but of course we took her on bathroom trips throughout the day or whenever one of us used the bathroom. Successful day 1 maybe an accident…but we knew it was coming not a big deal just change her clothing and try again.

Day 2…same routine no diaper, constant bathroom breaks and letting her mimic our behavior. We had an accident or 2 maybe I can’t recall but she was doing it for the most part.

Day 3…same routine…but this time we took an outing. Let’s just say I wasn’t ready yet but I knew I had to take the chance and put her new big girl confidence moment to shine. So we did, I think for me I was lucky that my child found it fun and exciting to visit restrooms every time we went to a new store (something I wasn’t ready for yet also, wish someone had told me) I wanted to put those pull ups right back up so I could get shopping done as fast as possibly.

Now that she had got the idea and was excited to be without a diaper and excited to visit every public restroom, I knew I could trust her if I occasionally put a diaper on at night to save us the trouble of having a wet bed for the next week or so because she understood that she didn’t have to pee or poo in her diaper. So I did I put the pull ups at night for a week and on long trips. NOW! this might be a good idea for some kids and not a good idea for some…I wouldn’t recommend you do it unless your kid understands that she’s only allowed to pee on the toilet and it’s to prevent certain situations…because you don’t want to reverse all the hard work. Anyway, Eventually she was going to bed without a diaper and when we went out for long periods of time she wasn’t in need of wearing a diaper because she knew we go potty in the toilet.

Chao!

Vanessa

…To be continued