#30facesofautism - Day 26

Day 26 – Potty training.  I mean really, how hard can it be? Hard. Super hard when your child has a straight up obsession with/fear of the restroom.  Baby Girl has a true love/hate relationship with toilets.  It all started off ok when she was a toddler.  She was using it pretty normally and only having an accident every so often at preschool. About 3 she definitely became interested in checking out every facility we came across.  It was literally the first stop in every home, store, restaurant, gas station, rest stop, plane, train and automobile – you get me.  Now, just because she visited did not mean she was interested in using them.  Public restrooms can be torture chambers y’all.  A McDonald’s restroom visit in Georgia on a trip to SC one time almost killed us.  I had taken her into the stall to change her into pajamas and a pull up when this little devil child angel proceeded to make the loud hand dryer go off over and over and over and over again while Baby Girl cried and screamed her head off in sheer terror.  Through the stall wall I begged that awful mother to make her child stop.  She told me to mind my own business. Her obsession turned to fear.  For a month after she would not step a toe inside a bathroom with a hand dryer. Overtime that worked itself out but the damage was done. Automatic faucet – you first, automatic paper dispenser – not so much, automatic flushing toilet – NO and automatic hand dryers – well, take a guess - NEVER. I have bathroom stories for days people.  Black toilet seats, split toilet seats, a porta potty on a field trip – have mercy. The bottom line is she will ‘go’ #1 at school, at home and occasionally at the highly frequented restaurant but for most excursions we have to wear a pull up, even at 6 and a half.  Not sure exactly what the hang up is with #2 but if it ever happens in a toilet we will have a party and there is a standing $100 reward to anyone who makes this happen. So by now I’m sure we must own stock in ‘disposable training pants’, I keep waiting on that check to arrive. #30facesofautism