Potty Bribes and Why Pure Capitalism Doesn't Work
We have been working on potty training for a while. Isaac has been peeing and pooping in his potty for more than 6 months, but it was always when we directed it, usually at the end of the day. We have decided, based on cues he has given us (cues, not "cu me"), to give him control. But it is not easy. Isaac has so many things he'd rather be doing than pooping and peeing that if left up to him, he'd never go or would get changed once a day.
We are using a variant on the M&M method, using Rolos instead. Every time Isaac let's us know he needs to go, then goes to the bathroom in his potty, and washes his hands he gets a Rolo. They are perfect treats, not too big, contained in a shiny gold wrapper, and I put them on top of the mirrors in both bathrooms so that he can see them, like glittering promises of reward.
This Sunday we decided to focus just on potty training. We didn't go anywhere or do anything outside the house (in part because it was pouring down rain). We put Isaac in his little undies, which are insanely cute, and let him run around. About every 15 minutes or so, we'd ask if he needed to use the john. He said yes once and we showed him how the Rolo thing worked. He loved it.
About two hours later he again told us he wanted to go to the potty. He had to pee this time (he usually tells you "pee coming" or "poop coming") and we did the ritual--rush to bathroom, pull down pants, sit him on his potty, wait, and then check for actual excrement (with a level of excitement only parents in potty training can understand). This time there was a distinctive, but small puddle of bright yellow urine in his potty. We did the handwashing and the pee dumping (not in that order) and then gave him his candy.
He quickly chucked it in his mouth and then, with a pie hole crammed with chocolate and caramel, he told us again "pee coming." The ritual happened again and again he produced a distinctive, but small puddle of bright yellow urine his potty. This time he demanded a Rolo right away. We made him wash his hands and again before he left the bathroom he told us, "pee coming."
Isaac broke the rewards system in one day, two tries really. It was insane. And it is proof that without regulation, a system based on rewards will always be corrupted. There are too many people trying to game the system for the rules at the outset, or no rules at all, to work. The result will be chaos, where greed and self-interest always win.
And Mitt Romney has too many Rolos as it is.
We are using a variant on the M&M method, using Rolos instead. Every time Isaac let's us know he needs to go, then goes to the bathroom in his potty, and washes his hands he gets a Rolo. They are perfect treats, not too big, contained in a shiny gold wrapper, and I put them on top of the mirrors in both bathrooms so that he can see them, like glittering promises of reward.
This Sunday we decided to focus just on potty training. We didn't go anywhere or do anything outside the house (in part because it was pouring down rain). We put Isaac in his little undies, which are insanely cute, and let him run around. About every 15 minutes or so, we'd ask if he needed to use the john. He said yes once and we showed him how the Rolo thing worked. He loved it.
About two hours later he again told us he wanted to go to the potty. He had to pee this time (he usually tells you "pee coming" or "poop coming") and we did the ritual--rush to bathroom, pull down pants, sit him on his potty, wait, and then check for actual excrement (with a level of excitement only parents in potty training can understand). This time there was a distinctive, but small puddle of bright yellow urine in his potty. We did the handwashing and the pee dumping (not in that order) and then gave him his candy.
He quickly chucked it in his mouth and then, with a pie hole crammed with chocolate and caramel, he told us again "pee coming." The ritual happened again and again he produced a distinctive, but small puddle of bright yellow urine his potty. This time he demanded a Rolo right away. We made him wash his hands and again before he left the bathroom he told us, "pee coming."
Isaac broke the rewards system in one day, two tries really. It was insane. And it is proof that without regulation, a system based on rewards will always be corrupted. There are too many people trying to game the system for the rules at the outset, or no rules at all, to work. The result will be chaos, where greed and self-interest always win.
And Mitt Romney has too many Rolos as it is.