Life

Marie Louise McConville: I'm getting stressed at the prospect of toilet training a boy

I'm stressing out at the thought of toilet training a boy
I'm stressing out at the thought of toilet training a boy I'm stressing out at the thought of toilet training a boy

I've never been one for watching internet videos but this week one caught my eye and it's been on my mind ever since.

While having a glance through Facebook, a post appeared on my feed which was entitled `What Parenthood Is Like'.

Attached was a video of a barefoot person running on a treadmill which had been heavily sprinkled with bits of Lego, all sizes and shapes.

Immediately, I saw what it meant - while some of the big blocks cause excessive irritation when we run on them, other smaller ones cause slight irritation but are still a pain.

It was the first time I had seen such a video which actually made sense to me.

Running on a non-stop treadmill on Lego is exactly like parenthood - we are always on the go, trying to keep up, running onto life's obstacles, some are big challenges, some are small.

In the coming days my treadmill will be cranked up as I am about to embark on a major challenge, toilet training for the second time.

You may think it's no big deal as I have done it before but last time, it was with a girl, this time, it's with a boy and the technicalities are all different.

I just know toilet training a boy will be more of a test and all the reading and research I've done has confirmed this.

With Abbie, it went like a dream and within two days she was done, thanks to copius amounts of stickers, lip glosses and toy make-up which she was rewarded with every time she used the toilet.

She was no problem at all.

As per advice for boys, I have left James a little later and I think it was the right decision because these last few weeks, he has been coming to us, pulling at his nappy, asking to sit on the toilet.

However, the problem is he sits there for a minute and then tells us he's "all done" despite not having done anything.

I've tried asking him if he wants to go to the toilet at random times but mostly no - more than likely because Power Rangers is on TV.

So, I've loaded up on pull-ups, invested in lots of tiny toy cars and trains, Kinder bars and apricot yoghurts and I'm just hoping for the best.

Advice I've been given ranges from putting a ping-pong ball into the toilet and asking him to aim for it, to just letting him sit down for the first few times.

All I know is I'm already stressed.

I'm sensing one of those extra-large Lego blocks in my path this coming week - probably lying in a pool of something not so nice.

Wish me luck.

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Queen of Pop Taylor Swift has revealed she carries army grade bandages on her at all times such is her fear of violence.

Having been targeted by a number of stalkers over the years, the singer said she carries bandages "for gunshot or stab wounds".

The singer also revealed that following the Manchester bombing and Las Vegas shooting she was afraid to tour "because I didn't know how we were going to keep three million fans safe".

As a result, the star said there was "a tremendous amount of planning, expense and effort put into keeping my fans safe".

Ahh, thanks Swifty, we love you too.

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