Selwyn Times: October 16, 2019
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SELWYN TIMES Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz<br />
Wednesday <strong>October</strong> <strong>16</strong> <strong>2019</strong> 25<br />
Slow start and limited success tests parenting skill<br />
FROM WHAT I can gather<br />
of this parenting game, there<br />
must be a whole lot time spent<br />
doubting your abilities.<br />
Whenever a friend’s child of an<br />
age with Vittoria does some new<br />
thing – talking, toileting, that sort<br />
of thing – I tend to think along<br />
the lines as to whether I should’ve<br />
been doing more to get bubs to<br />
match. Sounds dumb right?<br />
Getting her back into sleeping<br />
in her own bed and transitioning<br />
her to using a potty are my<br />
current goals. The thought that<br />
out there, people I know go<br />
through whole nights without<br />
being woken up by a toddler<br />
rolling onto their head and<br />
snoring in their ears spurs on the<br />
first goal.<br />
Hearing about the elaborate<br />
toilet training schemes of others<br />
drives the second.<br />
Because, lets be real, unless<br />
you’ve done it before, how on<br />
Earth do you train someone to<br />
use the toilet?<br />
The bed thing is pretty self<br />
explanatory, it just takes sufficient<br />
resolve and she’s been happy in<br />
her own bed (in our room still)<br />
for the last couple of nights.<br />
The potty thing? I’m not so<br />
sure. I tried slowly introducing<br />
a potty by getting her to sit on it<br />
before changing her clothes and it<br />
worked amazingly. Once.<br />
She successfully used it on<br />
VITTORIA<br />
& Matt<br />
the first go, but the experience<br />
traumatised her somehow, it was<br />
actually an incredibly civilised<br />
affair with a victory treat. After<br />
four days I’ve only just bribed her<br />
enough to sit on it again. But only<br />
with pants her on.<br />
So, slowly, slowly on that one.<br />
I assume, like I said, I’ve never<br />
trained anyone to use a toilet.<br />
But like a little surprise to<br />
boost my parenting confidence,<br />
I discovered on Monday<br />
that Vittoria is already an<br />
environmentally and communityminded<br />
young lady.<br />
I’d taken her to Latimer Square<br />
to run about in the sun and grass,<br />
with a side order of first stickfighting<br />
lesson.<br />
Right after learning the basics<br />
– stick sizes need to match and it<br />
doesn’t count if you don’t make<br />
“sword sounds” – she stopped,<br />
turned, and rushed off to throw<br />
a stray piece of paper in a nearby<br />
bin.<br />
But one was not enough, she<br />
ran about cleaning up all rubbish<br />
in a wide swathe of the square.<br />
Even two coffee cups at once.<br />
So, chalk that up to<br />
gold-standard parenting and<br />
one-step (sit?) at a time on the<br />
other stuff.<br />
•Former Star Media<br />
journalist Matt Salmons has<br />
become a stay-at-home dad.<br />
We follow his journey weekly<br />
FUN: Enjoying the noble art of<br />
stick-fighting before cleaning<br />
up.<br />
Children taking part in the Busy Bumbles holiday programme had fun last week at various<br />
locations around the district. They took part in various activities in Lincoln, Leeston, West Rolleston,<br />
Lemonwood Grove and Clearview<br />
Ari Muldowney and Noah<br />
James after eating doughnuts.<br />
Eli Locke, Jake Samson and Ethan Locke and<br />
their doughbuts.<br />
Lillie England with her<br />
bunting.<br />
Boys at busy Bumbles<br />
Lincoln playing football..<br />
Noah Gillespie and Jeffrey Li during<br />
scooter day. <br />
(Left) – Molly Thomson looking<br />
forward to eating a doughnut.
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