He's 2 years, 10 months, and for the past half year has displayed some interest in potty training. He's dragged his potty around, can show dolls how to do it, has a potty doll and a few books, comes in the bathroom to watch me (padre) which seems to be rather instructional.So we decided to start this weekend with a favorable schedule, and morning one was not good. We woke, had a bit of an opening ceremony taking off pants and diaper, presented a few ground rules, toweled-up the living room and couches, and steeled ourselves for a long, but ultimately fruitful weekend. Methods included lots of toys, TV, yogurt pretzels and stickers for rewarding pee-events, lots of happy encouragement, no punishment/negativity towards accidents, etc. From what I've gathered around here, that is generally how it's done.So it started fairly well, we started a movie, turned off the tv every 20 minutes or so to come sit on the potty, and if he responded well we'd reward. We had him instruct his doll, had cowboy Woody take a few simulated dumps and trade places with our son. This worked for about 2 or 3 iterations, but he hadn't actually peed yet. His diaper waking up was rather minimal, and we gave him half-apple juice/water first thing, so we knew he was holding it back well. Just a matter of letting it out. Once he dribbled it out a few times in the potty (and elsewhere), the anxiety started building. We of course were excited for him, pretzels/stickers, dancing, etc, but as the morning went on he stopped wanting to let any pee out as he seemed to increase anxiety around either peeing without a diaper, or peeing in the potty.So by now he's really whining and crying, twisting his legs in, holding his penis, unable to stay still for more than 5 seconds, getting on the potty but jumping up again for more whining. Any squirt of pee in the potty or on the floor was met with big crying, and us moving him to the potty to finish a squirt was now met with open screams. We took the bowl out of the potty when he was squirting to catch it, he flipped out and kicked/slapped it away splashing pee on us all. He'd ask to go to the big potty, and either sitting on it with our help or holding him facing it to pee was also just a dead end of more anxiety.Finally I gave up seeing harm in the efforts, brought a diaper, he pee'd, we regrouped, and took it off again. More of the same. 2nd diaper went back on, he had a big pee. So we left it on and had him just sit on the potty with diaper on to watch his show. He had zero problem with this. Then we took the diaper off and presented the same deal. He could sit down on the potty now, but was focused on the show and was obviously squeezing his legs together repressing the urge. Still couldn't let the pee out.So now he's napping well with a diaper, and I'm mentally preparing for the evening. I want to continue as we learn our way along, but I also fear we're building anxiety around the whole event. Is he even ready if the act of peeing out of the diaper is so dramatic?So if he responds well tonight we continue into tomorrow, but if he doesn't do well tonight I'm about to knock-it-off for now and give it more time.Hoping for advice here, I'm sure this isn't uncommon. Am I setting us up for a big step back? Should I press through? I'm also frustrated at those of you who have done it and their kid peed and pooped and it was wonderful and thats all you have to do and it's a big easy band-aid... I was lulled into this assuming it would go perfectly. Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps I focused on the positives and ignored the horrors. via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2tdAyyJ
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