Debbie is my mom’s best friend, and, as I was growing up, she was my second mom. The cool mom - the one you would go to when talking to your own mom would be completely mortifying. She is also the Kid Whisperer. Babies love her. Toddlers love her. Kids and grown-ups all love her. And, fortunately for me, she also has a background in Early Childhood Education. I know I often trot out that I, too, have this background, somehow, with Deb, it’s all different. She puts Nanny 911 and all those other shows to shame.

Debbie is kind enough to drive my non-driving mom the hour’s trek it takes to get to our home. Other months, we schlep up to the Big City Up North to visit my mom, and gather at Deb’s house for great cooking. What does all this have to do with the ongoing Pee Problem? Today we visited, and, Deb - as I suspected - had an inspired solution!

We don’t want to make the pee thing A Big Deal. But, as I have asthma, it’s one of my daughter’s issues that we have the luxury of allowing to resolved on its own (we’ve discussed why at length in another post). So, we’ve drawn more attention to it than I normally would, for this reason.

Debbie’s solution? Get a timer. Set it for thirty minutes. Every time it goes off, it’s time to pee. Need to pee? Great! Don’t feel the need? Try. Every thirty minutes – rain or shine. Pretty soon, Deb theorizes, we’ll only need to give “The Look of Inquiry” and it will be a cue. Then, a habit will be established.

On the way home, we stopped at the local discount store, and got a garden variety kitchen timer. By the time we reached home, it was bedtime, and nighttime is a different issue. But, for the first time in a long time, I am excited about the prospect of a solution on the horizon!

I’ll keep you posted as to the progress!

Photo credit: Stock Xchng