Big Boys and Parenting Styles

HOORAY! We have reached a milestone. H went the ENTIRE day wearing Thomas the Tank (these only had the little train pictures so he would wear them correctly and not backwards) at school. I figured it was time to try and see what happened. I packed an extra pair of shorts just to be on the safe side. I got to school at 5:15 and was truly proud to see he was still wearing the same pants and underwear from the morning.

While we have spent a number of hours doing this at home, today was no small feat as he tells me daily:
"Mommy, I go potty at school." to which he teacher says, he always tells her AFTER he's gone in his diaper.

The good side:

1) He has to be potty trained to go to the preschool he has been accepted into this fall (for reasons I'll discuss some other day).
2) No more buying two sizes of diapers decreasing our investment in Lightning McQueen Pull-ups. (He's still so skinny, during the day he wears size 3 and at night he wears size 4).
3) Have to admit little boy underwear is so stinkin' cute!
4) Maybe he will wear more underwear rather than going commando like we did tonight to the mailbox. He has discerned that at time it is not so comfortable to sit around here with a bare butt AND he definitely hates it when the dog follows him everywhere.

The bad side:

1) Pull-ups are SO EASY! Really, I don't have to worry about finding a restroom at some store or whether we have to skip a store just to get back home to go potty.
2) Really, how does one deal with a crying whining toddler who doesn't want to sit on a "big" public toilet seat in some gray boring restroom?
3) I don't REALLY need to do more laundry. I'll have to buy some more underwear. Daddy only gets his washed every two weeks - that's what happens when you travel. You stock up so you only have to wash everyday whites every other week.
4) He still hasn't gone "poop" in the potty.

While Daddy and I usually reach the same conclusion, we get there by VERY different paths on almost everything. Something about being married to an engineer.

Mommy's approach to pooping in the potty:

"H, you have to start going poop in the potty."
"Okay, Mom, Okay."

Daddy's approach (overheard later that day and not quite verbatim as I was quietly laughing and so not paying close attention):

"H, now listen to me, you are going to have to be a big boy so you can go to the big boy school. You have to start going poopee in the potty. You want to be a big boy don't you? Big boys get to do more fun things. Going poopee in the potty means you are a big boy.That's what a big boy means, doing more fun things. Don't you want to be a big boy and do more fun things?"

I don't know which made me laugh more. - listening to to the cross between baby and big boy talk or the idea that my (ok our) 2 1/2 year old needs to subscribe to doing what other kids do in order to get ahead in life....

"Mommy, big boys wear Thomas to school?"

"H you want to wear Thomas again tomorrow?"

"Uh-huh."

So, who has more input? In our world, he will do it on his own timetable in his own way just as he does everything else regardless of what we tell or ask of him. H knows the score. When going commando, he will ask for a diaper when he knows he needs to go poop. One day he will just do it. and never look back - that's just the way he rolls.