For those of you who’ve known me for awhile, you’d think that I’d be the last person to go camping or look forward to doing so. It’s one more example of how kids have changed me. (in a good way). It took awhile for me to muster the courage to camp with the two boys, but all in all it was absolutely worth it and now I’m (and they’re) hooked.
We combined a camping trip with potty-training which was a gamble. Turns out it worked out well. My nearly four year old has been reluctant to potty train. For months we’ve been trying, with “potty treats” displayed on the mantle as motivation including a glass vase full of lollipops. Having tried nearly every trick in the book, it was time for a new approach (and less sugar). Something drastic. It was time to pull out the big guns.
Before the trip, my husband and I explained that big boys had to wear underwear camping. Bobby seemed up to the challenge. With tons of extra clothes for him and the potty (and a few back-up pull-ups) we were ready to go. Bobby did extremely well the first day (none). Then the second day was not as successful, which really didn’t matter. The point was the trip represented a change. From then on, Bobby was in big boy pants. So, all in all it seems to have worked.
We’re still working on that number two though, and I’m hoping it will come with time. I’d love to hear what worked for you.