Toilet training

I was talking so someone about toilet training today and thought I would share what we have done.  Even though Jewel has spastic cerebral palsy that affects all her limbs and whole body inside and out, I figured I would try to potty train her anyway.  This was about three years ago.  Regardless of her labels we decided to commit as a family as a team to start taking her to the bathroom as we would any child.  We started a routine first thing in the morning, rise then take off the hip-adductor brace and then take off her diaper and sit her on the toilet, we would take her every three hours and sometimes get a number one (pee).  She was not consistent but we were.  We would talk about going to the bathroom, the importance of going and getting rid of the urine and the body's function.  We would run the bathroom tap for her to hear the water running and maybe this association would help her go.  Jewel has mostly been constipated all her life.  The stander from prime engineering has helped not only her bones and spine stay straight, weigh baring,  it also allows gravity to help with elimination.  Many times her spasticity effects her bowels and she can not eliminate or it takes time.  We have been doing this for at least three years and are only now getting results.  You have to be committed for the long hull, it may take years to get a desired result but do not give up!  Only now with Jewel's speech  can she say, "kaka" and this means that she has to go, then we ask her one or two?  Jewel will say, "one" and we will take her.  There are many false alarms, where we take her and nothing.  But we must never give up or get frustrated.  It is not her fault.  I say that it is okay and good trying, maybe next time.  If we give up she fails.  It is hard work taking all the straps off her in the wheel chair, carrying her and putting her on the toilet and holding her up.  When she was smaller I sat with her.  We wait and wait.  The toilet area is small, hot and stuffy.  There is no window or air conditioner or fan, but that is okay, we wait and try for her.  Sometimes we are tired and have a bad attitude but we are only human.  We aim to stay positive and calm because she can feel our body and picks up on our emotions and attitudes.  We always praise her and get happy when she is able to go because it is a big deal!  She now says, "sorry, nothing, or waiting" and we wait.  I remind her to try and not to say sorry, she has more successes and victories now.  The numbers have changed and she is mostly able to go.  This morning she woke up with another dry diaper and agin she has gone the whole day with out wetting her self.  It is worth the effort and her self esteem has benefited because she did not give up.  There was a time in the beginning that she was giving up because of our whinny attitudes, then we changed ours and she turned hers around and started trying again.  Jewel wears little girl panties now during the day time.  On long trips out sometimes I bring a diaper just in case I can not find a bathroom and public bathrooms are dirty and yukie, so during these times I put a diaper on her and always explain why I am doing this.   I do not know if things will get easier but if I do not try then how can she learn to try, any victory over her body and life is worth it.  We give her lots of water during the day to help with elimination, she still gets constipated but not as much as we strive to give her a healthy diet.  This is our story and it has worked.  Maybe one day she will be able to get to the bathroom by herself, but until then we will take her.  Just during this post I had to stop and take her to the bathroom, it was a successful trip :)