Potty Training and the Terrible Twos

I just want to start out with this... I love my son. He is amazing. Even though most people can't handle is not stop movement or his full fledged energy, I love it. It wears on me and I am exhausted most days but he is able to wear himself out and I never have to fight sleeping or eating with this kid.

But I think its fair to say that we have reached the point where this age is the toughest we have ever experienced so far. Even when he had a bad case of reflux we at least knew how to sooth and make him feel better. But he has reached the age of independence. And the age of disobedience. Oh and to top that off we have started the slow process of potty training.

We know this stage doesn't last forever and we know that for the most part he is a good kid but man oh man I cannot stand the constant tantrums that begin the moment the word NO comes from our mouths. We don't have a kid that takes his frustration out on us. He doesn't hit or bite or scratch, but he throws toys. And that has been awful. But on the bright side, slowly we see the self control that comes with the discipline of making sure he knows throwing toys are not allow. The biggest part of this discipline is introducing Nathan to the idea of not just doing what he told but to honor and obey us because that is what Jesus wants of us. So there are a lot of "I'm sorrys", kisses, hugs and prayer time after every disciplinary action that takes place. I'm sure its easy to get a kid to just do what he is told but we want more for Nathan than that. We want to be honored, obeyed and loved through this. And we want Nathan to feel loved by us through discipline. Its tough and hard to stay consistent and to always keep our cool but I really believe it will pay off.

Now onto potty training. We have just started introducing him to sitting on the toilet. Nathan is a little scared of it but he sits on it and tolerates it. Even though he has yet to do anything on it he knows what it is for and that if does go it will be a good day. But we have already encountered a few mishaps. The "poke it down" model for boys doesn't work on Nathan because he is extremely ticklish in that area. I mean its bad. So now we are trying to figure out if the best course of action is to teach him to stand right away and sit for the #2s. Any advise out there for me would be awesome!

The first time said he actually wanted to sit on the toilet.

My mom said I would always grab a paper to read during potty time,  I guess followed suit.

Again, Nathan is amazing and sometimes a mom needs to  vent. I don't hide that we are imperfect and that my kid has issues. By no means, my kid is far from perfect and sin is setting in and we are working hard to show him the life Christ has for us. He is a boy that is "all boy". He loves to run, jump, dance, play, read, talk, sing, eat, sleep, pray, and laugh. We have a blast together most days. He is a joy in our life. We can't imagine life without him and hope we don't have to for a very very long time!