The Potty Fairy!

Oh happy day!  You may recall that I've been trying to potty train Ginger (age 3) for about a YEAR now.  She is one of those people who likes for everything to be HER idea. With her I have learned to let her take the lead, and not to push her because the more I push, the more she pushes back.  ;-)  With swimming, with wearing clothes...it all goes so much better when it's her idea.  Even to this day, if I make a comment about her clothes, she will get so mad and take them off.  So, I don't say anything.  Really.  The less I say, the better things go.  Ha!

There are a few things you cannot make a person do, and one of them is go on the potty (another one is eat).  Having control over this area of her life has been really important to Ginger - she doesn't get to choose hardly anything in her life, so if she needs to have this one area of personal choice, then I say: Fine.  Good.  You can decide.

Now, just because I say that, it doesn't mean that I don't try to steer her towards using the potty every single day.  We've watched potty videos (Potty Power, Potty Power Princess, Elmo, the one with the bear).  I've read books about it.  She's read books about it. She has watched others go.  We did a treasure box.  Even candy. Yes, candy!  

Nothing worked. 

The more I talked about it and tried to incentivize it, the more she resisted.




So, now that Paprika (age 6) has her first loose tooth, the talk around the house has been all about the tooth fairy.  Ginger REALLY wants a loose tooth, and really wants the tooth fairy to visit her.  I told her it would be at least two more years before that happened.  She says she's going to keep wiggling, and hope it happens sooner.  ;-)

Well, this tooth fairy business was a perfect opportunity to make up a brand new fairy.  The Potty Fairy!  I admit, I was desperate.  But, I told Paprika and Ginger all about the Potty Fairy.  She brings gifts to 3 year olds who aren't potty trained.  And the best part?!  She brings sibling gifts to big sisters who teach their younger sibling to go on the potty.  Paprika was all over that!

They have spent the past few weeks talking about the potty fairy and what they'd like for her to bring them.  Last night, out of nowhere, Ginger just took off her pull-up, went and got some underwear out of the drawer, and said:  I'm done with diapers. 

She went on the potty about twelve times.  I totally removed myself from the situation and let Paprika help her completely because I knew if I stepped in, Ginger was going to do a 180.  With any new thing Ginger does, the more I step back and act like I don't care, the better she does.  I basically have to provide a fertile opportunity for her, and then let her do it on her own.

Even though I was overjoyed about the whole thing, I acted really casual...like this sort of thing happens all the time.

Paprika was so excited because it meant the Potty Fairy would come that night!  She whipped off a letter, lickety-split:




Dear Potty Fairy,

Please bring Ginger a doll and jewelry and me money and dolls.  Ginger has gone on the potty! 

Love, Paprika

So, last night the Potty Fairy brought them each a dollar and a little bejeweled pin (jewelry).  The potty fairy didn't have any little dolls on-hand, but you never know...if someone goes again, the potty fairy might return!  ;-)