Finally.

Finally, a plan everyone can agree upon.

We've had some trouble with Potty Training. It is hard enough for two parents united in a cause to convince a three-year-old to do something he doesn't want to, but when you throw two households and three parents, as well as day-time care into the equation the trouble as well as the efforts multiply.

Julian has decided he wants nothing to do with growing up...especially when it comes to using the potty. He has very efficiently managed to manipulate each parent in a different way. Me...he just doesn't go to the bathroom, with his father he cries until Bobby gives in and puts a pull-up on him, and his Mom--well I'm not sure what he is doing but I have a feeling it is similar to what works on his dad. I'm impervious to tears--so I'm not the best of friends these days.

Today however, big-boy underwear on, and already an accident behind us, Julian barricaded himself in his bedroom, emerging 15 minutes later with pants full of you know what. Clearly he is intentionally going to the bathroom, so there has to be a method of training that will suffice. Buying him things does not work--he has more stuff than he could ever want and with separated parents is often rewarded with gifts from two different families, time-out is just five minutes of drama and a forgotten cause, and sweets do not phase him, he'll happily forgo sweets in order to stay in his pull-ups and not face the toilet.

So, the new potty training plan, which all three parents have agreed on, Julian has been briefed, and has been implemented once already is as follows.

1) No new toys are to be purchased until he is fully potty-trained (he has enough anyway).
2) Every time he goes to the bathroom in his big-boy pants, he loses a toy. (it is tucked away in plain-site)
and finally the catch...
3) Every time he uses the potty successfully he earns a toy back

Finally when he is fully potty trained we've agreed to contact BNSF for a tour as a grand and final celebration!!!