Wake Up Kids It's World Chocolate Day!!!

Today its World Chocolate Day!!!  It has been stated that July 7, 2017 celebrates 467 years since chocolate was introduced to Europe.

I  don't want to even imagine a world without chocolate in it.  Just think about it.  Chocolate is incredibly important to our lives.

Let's talk about potty training for example. Probably not the best subject for a chocolate blog but none the less bear with me.  Contemplate the number of individuals who may still be walking around not potty trained if it were not for chocolate.  As parents of toddlers you know behavior modification is the way to go to potty train your child.  Take the sticker chart for example. OOOOweee!  If you go potty in the toilet you can have a sticker on the chart.  Yay.  A. Sticker.  Toddlers are savvy human beings and don't think for a minute that we adults are smarter than they.  Those cute little tykes look at us dancing around like circus clowns doing the potty dance with the promise of a sticker at the end and think,  "Yep, you are nuts if you think I'm sitting on that weird chair with my pants down for a sticker."  We parents dig deep.  We spend hours sitting on the big toilet next to the little toilet reading books and making promises of stickers for using the potty to no avail.  If we look deep into the expanding minds of our toddlers we see the answer.  Stickers are not the answer.  You get a sticker from the dentist, the doctor and the bank teller at the drive through, even the grocery store clerk.  These wise souls are holding out for the big "C".  

Put your ear to the ground at the playground and hear the little whispers among the toddler diaper brigade.  

Diaper Dude #1:  "Dude, How's that bathroom thing going at your house?"

Diaper Dude #2:  "Slow moving.  The parental unit is stuck in the sticker phase."

Diaper Dude #3   " Are you kidding me?  You have been there for weeks! What is their problem?"

Diaper Dude #2  "It's my mom.  You know first time Mom trying to be healthy.  She reads "Parenting Naturally" magazine.  She is just trying to raise me the right way."

Diaper Dude #1:  "Their hearts are always in the right place but seriously this could go on foreverrrrrrr.  You should move to drastic measures.  Start peeing on the floor."

Diaper Dude #3: "My mom moved to carob chips with my big bro after 4 weeks.  He was having non of it."

Diaper Dude#2: "Aghhhh not carob chips!!!! I hadn't even thought of THAT!  I hope she didn't hear you.  Let's break, we'll  check in next play group."

How many of us have chatted with our other parent friends over the dilemma  of potty training.  And how many of us were totally obtuse to the diaper brigade and their code of conduct specific to potty training.  I certainly was with my first child.  I got a little smarter with my second and by the time number three was up to bat I had learned the language.

Diaper Dude #1 "Okay my friend, it's been over a month.  We thought we would check in to see if your parents have wised up on this bathroom thing."

Diaper Dude #2:  "Dude! I have listened to "My Little Potty" so many times I could recite it in my sleep.  But I have good news my friends, they have finally cracked."

Diaper Dude #3 : "NO way!!!  What's your game?  My mom tried the carob thing and I spit it out and then peed on the floor the next time."

Diaper Dude #2:  "First, check out my under roos.  Serious, Spider Man going on here. You don't want to get them wet.  The big game though?  After I got my Spider Man tighty whities my Mom thought for sure she had me.  Ha I showed her.  I pooped on the floor four times in a row."

Diaper Dude#1 "Whoa man. You are a legend. Did her head spin?"

Diaper Dude #2: "Nope.  She was in a fetal position on the floor.  I think I over did it a little with the drama.  But it worked.  I played dumb as I watched her finally go to the cupboard over the refrigerator.  There it was like the Holy Grail.  A shiny bag of M&M's.  Next time she asked I went right to the potty. No problemo.  Peed right into the pot and smiled like a big boy.  You know if you poop in the pot they cry and dance around like chickens.  It's fascinating this potty dance ritual they have.  And the best part?  You get TWO M&M's! I don't know why it took me so long to train her."

Diaper Dude #3:  "Excellent!  I'm going to try that in the next couple of days.  See you next week at the Super Hero Undies Club."

So to my point, how smart are these little guys to hold out for the best reward in behavior modification?  After all their Momma's didn't raise no dummies.  

Happy World Chocolate Day.  Give thanks for chocolate and potty training Mommies. Together they have made our world a better place.

Peace.