Thomas the (Toilet) Tank Engine

Let me tell you how Thomas, that “very useful engine,” has helped the boy learn to make his wee-wees in something other than a diaper.  What do you mean “other than a diaper”? Don’t you mean on the potty?  Oh, yes, on the potty – and on the floor, the wall, his leg, my leg, Mom’s shoulder (don’t ask; I don’t know), his pants, my pants, and, occasionally in the potty.  We’ve potty trained 3 girls without much difficulty, but girls, you see, don’t have a spigot. And aiming that thing can be a challenge for the inexperienced.

But to be fair, he went from diapers to “big boy underpants” (they are, of course, Thomas the Tank Engine underpants – after all, he is a “cheeky” little engine) in essentially one day.  He won’t wear a diaper anymore, and he sleeps through the night without wetting the bed.  All because of that little blue engine.

You see, we made a potty sticker chart, and should the boy complete a row of stickers, he earns a new Thomas the Tank Engine train accessory.  We underestimated the joy these little die-cast trains bring.  He earned his first train the second day of potty training.  He’s gotten four more trains, and some new tracks in the past week.  We can’t afford for him to be a big boy.  Diapers were cheaper.  That kid sits and squeezes at every opportunity.  And when he gets a new train, inside the packaging is a fold-out, full-color brochure showing all the trains he doesn’t have – yet.  And I swear to you, he studies it.  He makes little mental notes about how many pee pees it would take to get the whole set.  I’d like to personally thank the toy manufacturer for that little scam.

However, the good news is, I think we have single-handedly brought the Island of Sodor out of a recession.  Everyone from Tidmouth Sheds to Farquhar Quarry is rejoicing.  Just yesterday there was a message on the answering machine from Sir Topham Hatt - thanking us.

Now, if we could only do something about the poop.