Keeping a Diaper on the Boy

We've found that we have a new responsibility in our household. It comes with many challenges, many on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments, and many laughs.

Ben absolutely loves to be naked now. When he finds a free moment, he tries to take off his pants and sometimes succeeds. And he's a pro at taking off his diaper. He loves the feel of riding around on his little green motorcycle with nothing between his private bits and the plastic seat. He enjoys (I think) freaking out Mommy by standing for long minutes on the only piece of carpet in the main area of the house where it would be harder to hear the sound of tinkle hitting the floor.

He also loves *helping* by taking off his perfectly clean clothes and diaper and tossing them down the laundry chute. Or throwing them in the garbage. Since Friday, we've gone through about three or four changes of clothes per day.

Chris and I have had some long discussions about this. Daddy is anxious to potty train, Mommy isn't. Frankly, I don't think Ben is ready. I think toddlers can have periods where they love nudity without actually being interested in the potty. And Ben shows minimal interest. When he's diaperless, he doesn't even notice when he pees. He's not even two.

As a compromise, I've agreed to have Ben watching the potty training video I picked up from the library. If that spurs him to want to try out the potty, I'll definitely accommodate his wishes. But if it doesn't, oh well.

A naked toddler makes my life more interesting, by the way. You try having an argument with a non-verbal child about why he can't go outside to ride his motorcycle around the block if he doesn't have any clothes on. I'm sure the breeze on his butt would have felt wonderful, but it's a highly trafficked neighborhood, and I wouldn't want to cause any accidents because of drivers doing a double take.