It's Potty Time!

I sent a version of this yesterday via e-mail, but it never arrived. With a puff of electrons, it was gone.

The last several weeks have been relentlessly wearing on the dadwithnoisykids family.

Both professional and personal challenges have marched up to us, growing larger and more insurmountable as they come closer. Some have been accomplished, others seem to have just walked over us.

And through it all, we have been battling a cold which seems to grip my wife and me like a terrier, not letting go for anything. I can only imagine this is what is feels like after having tonsils removed. It hurts to swallow, to talk, to try to yell.

Only drooling feels okay.

So, in the midst of all this, some member of the family decided it was time the three year old noisykid learned to 'potty train.'

Three year old BOY noisykid. The one who inspired the pseudonym 'dadwithnoisykids' during a temper tantrum at Mass that started after the first reading and ended with the recessional hymn. Factor in a 20 minute minimum homily. (Father's homilies are quite long - but very good. You can listen to them here.)

Actually, potty training is rather easy. All it takes is twenty pairs of pants, twenty pairs of underpants, twenty pairs of socks, and as many pairs of shoes or sandals you can scrounge from the 'old shoe' box. Have some task or reading material available while you sit and wait for results. Have someone watch the child all the time; the first moment he gets a far-away look in his eyes, sweep him up and sit him on the throne.

Have a plumbers helper available after he runs a roll of toilet paper down the drain.

Buy enough 'bribe' or 'reward' candy/toys to give when success eventually occurs. Prizes are given in proportion to the magnitude of the results, if you know what I mean.

Today it occurred to me one reason why this November has been one big kick in the rear end: This is the month we pray for the repose of the souls in Purgatory. So God has given me a tremendous gift - one which I could have been offering up for the Poor Souls in Purgatory. It almost makes me cry when I think of how I could have turned this annoying cold into a Divine Gift. So I have started anew today, trying to remember the poor souls any time I don't feel well.

But seriously....
Please remember my five year old son who will undergo surgery tomorrow. Thank you and God bless you.

There are other things happening which are worth blogging about, but so often I have been faced with the choice of blogging or sleeping. Sleeping has been winning out lately, so for the three of you who regularly read this, please accept my apologies and look for more interesting reading in the future.