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Holding On by a Safety Pin:When Mom is not Ready to Potty Train
By Carma Haley
There are various signs that a toddler is ready for potty training -- or at least interested in the idea. Toddlers may indicate their readiness by exhibiting various behaviors such as investigating the potty, attempting to mimic parent's "bathroom" actions or even removing their diaper when they feel the urge to relieve themselves. When a parent sees these behaviors, they should allow their child to express these actions in an open and accepting environment.
Sometimes a parent, especially a mother, will hesitate to acknowledge the fact that the child is ready for potty training. This is not uncommon, especially when dealing with the youngest or last child in a family. "What we learn is that each child from the same family has a different set of parents," says Gross. "The youngest child may be kept younger longer because the parents, especially the mother, will want to hang on to the dependency that children have."
Often a mother will deny that she is delaying potty training for personal reasons and may blame it on other aspects of the child's development. However, there are some that acknowledge their reason for delay. "My youngest child, also my youngest daughter, is now 20 months old," says Aquilla Rexroat, a romance writer from Chillicothe, Ill. "Although she hasn't yet been potty trained, she is starting to investigate the potty-chair and insist that she be allowed to go without diapers. I'm not sure if this is indication of her readiness, but I know I'm not ready for her to be potty trained. I think both the parent and child need to be emotionally ready for the potty training -- I'm not ready. It's not that I don't want her potty trained. I just don't feel that I should have to rush to make her grow up. This way, she is still my baby."