Tuesday, October 21, 2008

What my kid is reading these days

I think that many of us who have small children harbor a secret hope that by reading to them we're contributing to their development into little geniuses. You know, dreaming that when they graduate from Harvard Medical School at the top of the class, their speech will honor "my loving, beautiful mother who is responsible for me being here today because of all the hours she spent reading books to me."

So we buy our babies soft books they can chew on, then books with interesting textures for exploring hands. Before long, we're graduating to Sandra Boynton and Dr. Seuss. We find ourselves looking forward to reading them our favorite childhood books, like The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.

And then the progression comes to a screeching halt, as we realize the next step isn't C.S. Lewis. It's...

Poop.

Because even little geniuses need to be potty trained, and a whole lot of writers have cashed in on the notion that desperate parents will be happy to shell out good money for a book that just may help their miniature Einstein realize that the potty is the number one place to go number two.

After my first nauseating experience cleaning poop out of big girl panties, I knew I needed to change Chickie's habits ASAP. My search led me to Where's the Poop? by Julie Markes, illustrated by Susan Kathlen Hartung. The reviews on Amazon quickly convinced me, and I ordered it.

This little book may not be turning Chickie into a genius, but we love it. From Amazon, here's the description: "With the aid of this playful book, your child will see that he or she has a place to poop, too. While reinforcing the concept of toilet training, Where's the Poop? gives children the confidence they need. This engaging lift-the-flap book shows children that all creatures have a place to poop: tigers in the jungle, kangaroos in the outback, and monkeys in the rain forest." The end of the book shows a little boy who is proudly telling his mommy he pooped, and when the reader lifts the lid of the toilet, there's the poop, right where it belongs, floating in the potty.

It's a lot less disgusting than it sounds...really. The illustrations are very cute, and the depiction of various animals' poop is somehow very tasteful. Here's Chickie, discovering that little penguins poop on the ice:



Now, it hasn't worked yet, but Chickie is talking positively about pooping in the potty, so I'm earnestly hoping we'll hit that milestone soon.

And I'm changing my daydream a bit. She's still graduating from med school, but her speech is a little different. "Thanks, Mom, for helping me get to med school by spending hours reading me great literature. But more importantly, I've been able to poop in the potty for these last 22 years, and for that I give you credit...well, you and Where's the Poop?"

8 comments:

Angie said...

Chickie's graduation speech made me literally LOL! I think I may visit the library soon to get the book. Paige will poop in the potty at school, but not at home. She'll hold it until we put a diaper on her for bed.

beckiwithani said...

Ooh, if you're looking for a Christmas present for Molly, I'd love to get that book! She likes lift-the-flap books and HATES the feeling of poop or pee in her diaper. She loves sitting on the potty, but doesn't usually do anything in it! She just likes to sit there and read. So I think she needs help making the connection....

Becky said...

Yes! Of all the potty-training books we've checked out of the library (and it's been a lot), "Where's the Poop?" is my favorite. Unfortunately, no little light bulbs went on in Sammy's head after reading that book, so we haven't progressed much past reading about poop.

Kara said...

I'll have to add this to my potty-training arsenal! We will start training the week before Thanksgiving. That book sounds cute!

Kerri said...

That post had me cracking up! We are nowhere close to the potty training but when we start I'll have to make sure I check that book out!

Lyndsay said...

MUST.BUY.THE.BOOK.

Anonymous said...

I have seen other books on the subject, and wondered if they actually do help. "Back in the day" the only advice you got when you were potty training your children, was the advice of other mothers! Good for you. Hope it works.

C. Beth said...

Angie--Well, as much as I hope that Paige improves soon, it's also nice to hear others are struggling with the same thing!

Becki--It's on its way. :)

Becky--No, no, no, tell me that he read it and IMMEDIATELY ran to the potty and pooped! Please...just lie. Give a girl some hope. ;)

Kara--Ooh, week before Thanksgiving, that's coming up soon! Good luck!

Kerri--Yes, check it out! It may not actually do any good, but it is adorable.

Lyndsay--Ha, ha, I thought of you when I wrote this post. Hope things are going better in the P/T arena for you.

Sandra--Yeah, the books probably help far less than the mom-to-mom advice. But it does make for a fun blog post. :-D