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Potty Training Miracles

Katie Hunter
Jan 13, 2016
4 min read

We decided to potty train our second child this week. It has been an extremely difficult process. The "3 Day Potty Training Method" I used is a good one, but it goes against much of my natural tendencies. It is all about love, positive reinforcement, diligence and patience (not that I do not have all of these attributes, rather I resist them when trying new things). For weeks now, Lucy has asked to go potty on the big girl potty and I have waited until this week to actually start.

I did the method. I reminded her every few minutes to tell me when she needed to go potty. I rushed her into the bathroom when she was in the middle of an accident. I gave her treats and rewards for going in the potty or keeping her underwear dry. I spent hours with her, trying to devote my attention to her. And through it all, she became more and more exasperating!

She would tell me she needed to go potty, we go into the bathroom and she immediately starts to scream "I DON'T WANT TO GO POTTY!!!!" So I calmly pull her pants back up and take her to read a story or to watch a show. Over the first few days, she hit me, peed on me and screamed in my face. I tried so desperately to keep my cool, and I am so thankful Cameron had been home all week to help me. He could hear it in my voice when I was about to break and he immediately stepped in. He has been such a blessing through all of this.

It was now day 4 of being "potty trained" and I was seriously questioning my decision, but we were 4 days into it and I felt we couldn't go back to diapers. In my heart of hearts I knew if we reverted and tried to potty train again in the future it would be 10 times as hard. I didn't know exactly what to do, but I decided to keep trying.

I recognized that I needed to take a different approach.

After Lucy's nap, I got her out of her crib, changed her wet pants and knelt down on the floor with her. I offered up a simple prayer asking the Lord to help Lucy to recognize when she needed to go and for me to be patient. A little later she said she needed to go potty. As per routine, we raced to the bathroom and as soon as our feet hit the tiles she started screaming "I DON'T WANT TO GO POTTY!!!!!!" I coaxed her onto the toilet amid her screams of protest.

Once she was settled I said that we should say a prayer. "Dear Heavenly Father," I prayed "Please help Lucy to go pee-pee in the potty." Immediately I heard a trickle. I opened my eyes and Lucy was smiling brightly. "I did it!" she exclaimed. I was so excited! I congratulated her and said we needed to finish the prayer. I can't remember what else I said, but as I prayed she finished going potty in the toilet. We celebrated and she earned a reward.

I reflected upon this moment and realized that it was a miracle. To some people this may sound crazy, but to me it really was an answer to prayer and was a testament to me that the Lord cares about us and recognizes our wants and desires. I know the Lord understood and understands how important it is for me to do this at this time. I was four full days into the process, we had gone cold turkey on diapers, I had done a million loads of laundry and did not want to turn back.

He understood. He helped. The moment I turned to Him, all worked out.

Lucy is still having accidents now and then, but I have found that if she is resisting going on the potty, I offer up a simple prayer aloud and it is just the thing to help me control my emotions and to help her relax and let it go. I even worried for a moment that she is going to need me to pray for her every time she goes potty, but then I thought how terrible would that really be? It's not much work on my part and it invites the Spirit into our lives more often.

I am thankful that the Lord cares about the little things. In the grand perspective, was it life or death to have her potty trained right now? No, but it was really important to me and Cameron and we felt it would be best. The Lord heard my prayers and performed small miracles for me and Lucy and helped us on the path to achieving our goals.

He can help you too in any way, all you need is ask.