Parenting Milestone - The Toilet Masters

There are certain moments a parent tends to remember. Milestones in a child’s development, their special achievements, and happy events. While we can agree that these special moments may vary from parent to parent, all can agree that the day a child no longer needs diapers is memorable.


November 2004

Our boy was three years old. In an effort to entice him out of diapers Wife Klem and I had established a reward. Guano in the toilet instead of diaper yields a viewing of Jurassic Park (1993) and two handfuls of m&ms. (The guy loved dinosaurs and he had asked many times if he could watch that film.)

Late one afternoon after considerable coaxing, the guy delivered! He triumphantly took his position on the couch and stuck an eager hand in the full Tupperware container of m&ms. As per the agreement, he was prompted to take a second handful. He gave a double take pondering his good fortune before sending a second hand swimming amongst the candy delights.

He sat mostly in silence with eyes fixed to the tv watching for his dinosaurs taking down m&ms until he could gag down not one more. It wasn’t until then that he then offered to share with mommy and daddy.

In retrospect, Jurassic Park is not appropriate for three year olds. The guy had a nightmare that night. Oh well, sorry fella, but thanks for not regressing from being a toilet master.


Q1 2006

Our daughter was not yet two and her diaper typically needed a change shortly after dinner. We had come to the amusing practice of asking our boy to smell his baby’s diaper to see if she needed a change.

“Will you smell your baby's bottom, please. Does she have go-go," I asked the boy one evening after dinner. Overhearing the conversation she ran away as he approached. She knew the routine.

"There's your answer," said Wife Klem.

He caught her, put his nose to her bottom, and confirmed, "She has go-go." I carried the crying little girl off toward that clean diaper.

She wasn’t going to suffer that indignity for long. Her toilet master status was attained prior to three years.
-klem