The Star Chart

I should have titled this post, "The Poo Chart," or maybe "The Pee Chart," but the Star Chart has a nicer ring to it so I went with that.

My son has been streaking his pants lately.  It's a little habit he's gotten that we're working on breaking.   He knows when he has to go, he just doesn't want to go sometimes.   My daughter knows when she has to pee, only she figures out she has to go about a half-second before it's too late and can't hold it in time to make it to the bathroom.    So for both children, we decided on a new strategy: "The Star Chart."

After lunch today we told them all about it.   We were going to have it on the refrigerator and for every day they didn't have any mishaps, they would get a star.   At the end of the week, depending on the number of stars they had, they would get something or they would get to pick something like where we would go for dinner.   They were excited.  I mean really excited.  I don't know that I can adequately explain how the thought of one little star sticker could be that exciting, but it was to them.

We stopped at Target and I got some new underpants for my daughter because we didn't have many left that fit her.  I got ones with fun characters on them so she would be excited about them   I also got a new potty seat in the hopes that an overlay seat would make things more comfortable for my son when he needed to go.  Hopefully with a seat that fit him better, he wouldn't put off the event.  

Then we talked up the star chart.   In the afternoon my children watched me make the star chart with some markers and a ruler.   They can't read yet but I color-coded their names so they would know which line was theirs.  Then, we stuck it to the refrigerator.

I had high hopes.   My son made it to bedtime easily.  My daughter was good until just before bedtime when she was playing outside with her friend.  She didn't want to stop to come in to go to the bathroom.  I suggested.  I warned.   She ignored me.    So, she didn't get a star today.

My son loved selecting the gold star and putting it on the refrigerator.   My daughter was sad.   I told her I knew tomorrow she would be sure to pay attention to her body and put all the pee pee in the potty (note Montessori phraseology there.)

So we shall see.   Of sticker note, the sheet of stickers is one I've had for a very long time.  I am fairly certain I had them when I was in high school, so that would make them close to thirty-years-old.   They're still sticky too, which is impressive.

The Big Boy Update:  My son has poor impulse control.   All children do at this age.  His is sometimes profound.  He asked for something repeatedly yesterday.   We told him we would think about it.   We told him to stop asking.   We then told him if he asked one more time, the answer would be no.  He couldn't help it, he asked again.   When we told him he had just secured a no answer, he wailed.  It was like he couldn't control the urge.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter desperately wants to wear underpants to bed and not a diaper.   I explained when her pants were dry all day, she could try at night.   She told me she was going to have a dry diaper in the morning so she could get a star on the star chart.