5 Stages of a Toddler Poop - Not a gross post I promise

You know the 5 stages of grief? Well they can very easily be applied to a toddler being forced to stay in the bathroom to poop. Example: When we know David needs to go and he is not cooperating to do it on his own, we gate him in the bathroom. It's a pitiful sight and he does his best to pull at heart strings but mostly Tyler and I just laugh. Anyway, tonight I noticed in about 45 minutes time David goes through stages in this process that can be compared to the stages of grief. And NO KIDDING, it happened tonight in this order......

• Denial

"I don't need to poop! Please, I don't have to! It's not coming! Mommy I don't feel a poop coming!"

• Anger

"AHHHHHH LEMME OUT! LEMME OUT OF HERE! YOU'RE A BAD MOMMY! BAD DADDY! AHAHGHEHRHFDASDHFHAHHHHHH!" ( accompanied by banging and kicking of the gate)

• Bargaining

"Mommy, pleeeeeeeease let me out. I will poop later. I will go to bed. Please mommy. I will try tomorrow."

• Depression

(loud sobbing and crying)

• Acceptance

This would be the part that I would say he finally sat on the potty and tried but he is 3 and doesn't follow all the rules of psychology. He just continued to cry and I felt he had been in there long enough so we put him to bed. Hopefully tomorrow will be more successful.