Riding the escalator with panties on

I wonder what kind of Google hits I’ll get with this title?

As I mentioned yesterday, the Munchkin does statistically much better when she wears panties or cloth training pants as compared to a Pull-Up. I know the reason why: she thinks the Pull-Up is a diaper, and even calls it that (we are constantly correcting her), and so she feels less urgency to tell us when she needs to use the potty.

Since she only used disposables infrequently during her babyhood – essentially, only when someone else was watching her, like in the church nursery – she became aware of her bodily functions fairly early. Cloth diapers will do that to a kid. So, now that she has better control and even more awareness, the use of a Pull-Up is even more of a crutch to her, because it mentally lets her off the hook. And so I tried an experiement yesterday, to prove to herself – and to me – that she really is making strides in her potty training.

We went shopping at the mall yesterday, and she wore panties instead of a Pull-Up.

I had to pick up the portrait reprints of Tad – they had finally come in, and were all there and correct (hallelujah!), and I’d been putting it off for a couple of days. So, after the kids woke up from their naps, I loaded them up and off we went, with the promise of an escalator ride in exchange for good behavior from the Munchkin.

The kids did quite well. We did some browsing, and also ran by Michaels, which made for a later evening than I’d intended, but the Munchkin got her escalator ride (and loved every second of it – she told me, “Mommy, riding the escalator is good exercise!” Who knew?), and she stayed dry the entire time we were out.

I did have a backup plan – Pull-Ups and a spare pair of jeans (ones she’s growing out of) in the diaper bag, just in case. “Be always prepared” is my motto when it comes to the kids.

I told her how proud I was of her when we got home, which she accepted with easy grace. Twenty minutes later, she was on time-out for having a temper tantrum when I took something she’d filched off my desk back from her.

Ahh, the highs and lows of toddlerhood.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 22nd, 2006 at 1:25 am and is filed under Children, Shopping Stories.
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