Off On A Tangent

We went to “curriculum” night at the Montessori school Wednesday night, where we learned some things about the Montessori educational system for toddlers. It’s interesting to be doing this now, AFTER having enrolled Jaime in the program, but there it is. I had a fair amount of confidence in Montessori from my own research. But it was a good meeting - they described how they toilet train. Essentially, the answer is they just take the diaper away from children at 18 months, which is the point when they believe the child is perfectly capable of controlling their bladders and bowel movements. Also, at this time, the child is supposedly “sensitive” and open to the possibility of toilet training. After 24 months, if toilet training has not been achieved, then things can get difficult and the child obstinate about it. It is no longer a matter of “learning”, but being willing. In any case, the point is, take the diaper away, give them cotton underpants (and the little pull-up plastic liners) so that when they pee or poo, it is not hidden from them by an absorbent diaper. They will feel the wetness and urinating in their pants will have real “consequences” for them - a favority Montessori concept. Actions have consequences, and natural consequences provide the easiest way to learn. They don’t do much more than that - no active teaching them to sit on the potty, though they are shown the potty and how to use it, but they are not pushed to use it. I guess their experience is that after a few weeks/months of this, the child will of their own accord decide enough is enough and naturally start using the potty.

It’s been a week since I wrote the above - I gotta get better at this blogging stuff.  Jaime has spent most of that week out of diapers and is doing pretty well at using the potty.  He still doesn’t know to ask to use the potty when he needs to go, but if you undress him and suggest he sit on the potty, he will and he will pee and poop there.  If you happen to catch him at a good time, it works out :-)

This morning, Jaime went back to school after 5 days off.  He woke up and started asking for his shoes.  So, I got him dressed and got his shoes to put on him, but no, he didn’t want THOSE shoes.  I couldn’t really figure it out, since his other favorite shoes weren’t even in the room.  It turns out he was pointing and looking at this clothing shelves where his new shoes have been waiting (for him to get bigger and to want them).  But, they weren’t in view - they were covered by clothes.  But, that is where he was pointing.  So, I got the new spiderman shoes that light up when you stomp on them, and lo and behold that was exactly what he wanted.  So, today, the new spiderman shoes that used to make him cry when we tried to put them on his feet are the new favored shoe.  And even though they are big, he had no problem walking and running in them.

Oh, how I wish some people could get the notion that whatever comes out of their mouths should be a balance of nice and not so nice things to say. There are some that are stuck always saying the not so nice part and they cannot see how their behavior destroys their surroundings.

Life is a matter of balance, a juggle, an eternal search for equilibrium. When people give up on that search only sadness and loss follows.