U.S.S. Potty Training

Captain’s Log

Star Date: 0302.26

Destination:

Toilet Training

Potty Training

Using the Bathroom

I’m not buying no mo’ pull-ups

(sorry Huggies)

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Dear Diary,

My wife, Frankie, has been living in Dubai for her job. She’s finally coming home, and I couldn’t be happier!

For the past two years, I’ve been holding down the fort and raising our son, Ethan. Ethan is on the spectrum.

Last week, while giving Ethan his bath, I realized something: I’ve been holding him hostage from total independence.

He knows how to get his clothes ready—put them on and take them off. He knows how to wash his face and is still working on the brushing-his-teeth thing. He knows how to put his coat on and he has almost mastered zipping it up. He knows how to work the TV and the DVR remote. Hell, he even knows how to get whatever food item he wants, put it on a plate and warm it up in the microwave.

But he does not know how to go to the bathroom.

And I can’t blame Autism for it.

I can only blame myself.

Frankie and I have always agreed that we want Ethan to be able to live independently as an adult. We instructed his teachers and therapists to push him to his limits. I push him at home too…except when it comes to potty training.

I always use Ethan being nonverbal as my excuse for not even attempting to train him…plus it doesn't help that he is still able to wear 4T-5T in pull-ups.

Now he communicates with one-to three-word sentences. He can also read. Aside from me being lazy, I really have no more excuses.

New Mission: Have Ethan potty trained by the time Frankie gets home.

Day 1: Ethan had diarrhea REAL bad, and I was NOT going to clean up the mess that would’ve been created in them drawers!

Day 2: Another diarrhea day. Another day I was NOT going to clean up that mess!

Day 3: No diarrhea, but we had family in town visiting. I knew I wouldn’t be consistent with the training.

Day 4: Yesterday was overwhelming for Ethan. He’s tired—and so was I.

Day 5: Today was the day…or so I thought.

As soon as Ethan woke up, I took him to the bathroom. Six minutes of standing in front of the toilet, flying his spaceship through the air, he finally proceeded to pee…all over me and the floor. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, made it inside the toilet.

After cleaning the bathroom, Ethan and myself, I decided we’d pick this up again tomorrow.

Day 6: He peed on the dog.

Day 7: He climbed onto a chair and peed in the aquarium.

Day 8: I found him running around in the backyard…naked. Pull-up on the ground. Full of poop.

Day 9: He refused to cooperate. One meltdown after another.

Day 10: Frankie’s home!

I’m disappointed that I couldn’t get Ethan potty trained before she got here. I told her everything that happened. She laughed. Man, did she laugh.

She put her hand on my shoulder and said,

“I’m home now. We’ll do this together. There will be many missed opportunities but it’s all good. We’ll just clean up, put on another pair of underwear and in the words of Walt Disney: "Keep Moving Forward!"

~ Colin ~