Why do people make lame excuses for not potty-training their children yet?

Question

Why do people make lame excuses for not potty-training their children yet?

Answer 1

I've worked with children for years, and there are many reasons that a child potty trains late. In fact there is no one definition of what "late" potty training really is. Parents just assume that if their child potty trained at a certain age that everyone else's child should potty train at the same age. While I think it's silly that their are children who start preschool not potty trained, I don't think their parents are necessarily making lame excuses as to why they have not potty trained their child. I think that parents feel like their hands are tied behind their back. They've tried everything that everyone else has tried to potty train their own children and nothing has worked. I think they feel like a failure that they are unable to potty train their child, and that makes them come up with "any old excuse" to defend their parenting skills.

Bottomline, these parents are not making lame excuses, they are crying out for help from friends or family. To support them, to help them potty train their child, but most of all, to reassure them that they are not failure's as parents because their child(ren) are not potty trained yet.

Answer 2

Why do you care. My older 2 boys were a little older when they were potty-trained (three and a half) and I can count on one hand the number of accidents they had combined ( including night time) My youngest was a little younger and has had more accidents then I can count. I would rather keep my kids in diapers a little longer and have few accidents.

Answer 3

one of the main reason is becos it takes alot of time and effort. parents, amongst all things, are overloaded. and potty-training involves alot of patience, alot of consistency, alot of repetition. overall, alot of physical and emotional effort.

most parents give up after the first few attempts becos they expect the child to be potty trained miraculously overnight. for instance, they lose their patience and use diapers to save time.

parents who are drained r most likely to make those "lame excuses".

Answer 4

It's called LAZINESS!!

Answer 5

Well, you didn't give much to go on, but potty-training really is a developmental thing, not an age-based milestone.  I've met kids that were potty-trained around age 1, and I've met kids who are pushing 4 who are finally getting the hang of it.

At that age, you can't reason with a child; they either see the point in it, or they don't.  There are kids who are scared to potty train, there are kids who truly don't care yet, and there are kids who just plain aren't ready.  If the child is getting ready to start kindergarten or something and (barring any extreme developmental delays) still isn't potty trained, that presents a problem...but in preschool, who made you the potty training judge?

Sorry if that comes across as snippy, but it's really said in response to the tone of your question.

My son first asked to use the potty when he was 22 months old; we spent the next 14 months trying everything we could think of to get him to do it again.  We put him in "big boy underwear", we read the books, we aimed at Cheerios, we even had to keep him home from classes at church that he really wanted to be a part of (but had to be potty-trained for) - but he wasn't ready.  The week after he turned 3, something clicked, and the only time he had an accident after that was when he woke up in an unfamiliar room, in the middle of the night (visiting Grandma) and couldn't find the bathroom in time.  I'm sure people probably thought we were making lame excuses...but they're not his parents.

Answer 6

why do some people worry about when other people potty train their kids?

Answer 7

I don't believe, they are lame excuses.

Answer 8

Define "lame excuse".

Answer 9

Because nosey people make them feel guilty when actualy potty training will come to each child when they are ready.

If no one asked them - which it is no one else's business - then they wouldn't HAVE to make excuses.

Answer 10

It's called LAZY!

tell them to get rid of their computer and spend some time with their kids.

COME ON! when you have a 5 year old child, or even a 4 year old child that is not potty trained yet.. what do 'YOU' call it!?

I know a girl that was babysitting a 4 going on 5 year old child that would come to her in DIAPERS!!!   ever try to change a diaper for a 5 year old??? it's not pleasant!

WHY did this happen? cause the Mother was to tired after work to train her kid.. my friend would train that kid over the week, come Friday.. the mother would be off work and to LAZY to do anything..she'd put him back into a diaper!!

that kid would come back to my friend on Monday in a diaper!

that's ridiculous!!!  it's called LAZY!! no ifs or buts about it.

in response to some lame people who answered your question.

Answer 11

you must not have a child or you have the most obidient child in the world that goes when you tell her to go, sadly, for the rest of us, our children go when they are ready not when we force them to.

Answer 12

LAZY.... Alot of people do not want to work. If it is too hard they don't do it.  I encourage other parents to start early to make it easier on them in the long run.  Most of the kids we see today are lazy as well.  It is a problem in our society.