Question
Hi! I have a boy who will be 5 next month and he won't go to the bathroom by himself. I thought it was kind of cute when he always wanted to go with me and now I recognize the error of my ways. I have created a little monster who won't pee/poop without me!
I'd like to put an end to this. But how??? I've started by telling him that each day I will take one step further away from the bathroom until eventually I am out of sight and he will be able to go to the bathroom on his own. So far I'm about 4 feet away from the bathroom and he's okay with. Should I just continue along with this method? Or should I cold-turkey him instead?
A little background on him, he's a very sensitive and cautious child. In the past, he hasn't done "new" very well. And he is always assessing the danger in situations. He leans on the weeny side. He cries at a lot of things, even minor boo boos. I don't make a big deal of them but he still cries way more easily than either of his sisters (ages 6 and 3). Lately though I see him becoming much more confident and secure in himself. He is happy and confident at his preschool (3hrs a day) this year which is a big change from the past. He is also starting to push boundaries much more than ever and requiring more discipline than he's needed in the past. (We use the ticket system and he's been confined to his room 3 times in the past week vs 0 times in the past 2 years.) I started the going-to-the-bathroom-on-your-own thing about a week ago as well.
Thanks and looking forward to your answer! I always get such helpful answers from your website.
