Life

Andre Hunter/Unsplash
10 Ways Marrying Your Best Friend Makes Potty Training Easier

I think it's safe to say that potty training is the bane of every parent's existence. It's gross and frustrating, and it can make even the the most put together parent want to pull their hair out. When done with a supportive partner, however, potty training is slightly more tolerable, especially if your partner is your best friend. Honestly, and at least for me, marrying your best friend makes potty training easier, because there's nothing like a deep sense of solidarity to help get you through your urine-covered struggle.

The emotional stages of potty training can drive any parent insane, but having a partner by your side, to weather the storm in stride, has a way of making you feel a little less crazy. No one should have to potty train alone and both partners should be a part of potty training, too. After all, they had some part in creating their child, so why shouldn't they also be expected to help teach their child how to not pee in the floor?

A lot of parents consider potty training the worst part of parenthood, and I'm going to enthusiastically agree with that notion. I'm thankful that I've got my husband by my side, though, and especially throughout this very disgusting phase of our lives. I'm certain that if I didn't, I would have lost all of my hair (and sanity) by now. It turns out that marrying your best friend is quite useful while potty training.

Potty Training Is A Team Sport

Potty training isn't something that any parent ever looks forward to, but having a teammate to help you out makes the task at hand seem a little less dreadful. Having my husband play an equal role in teaching our sons how to "aim" when they pee, is a saving grace on the days when my level of tolerating another human's bowels has been surpassed.

Having Someone In The Trenches With You Helps To Pass The Time

No one enjoys cleaning urine off of their walls, but when you've got a partner by your side, it makes you feel slightly less disgusted with your life. When you're household is on lock down (until your kid learns how to use the toilet), it helps to have someone to pass the time with. Potty training sort of seems like a prison sentence, to be honest, so having a cell mate, who also happens to be your best friend, makes that sentence seem a little more tolerable.

Experiencing Disgusting Experiences Together Is A Great Way To Bond

How does that saying go? "Couples who wipe baby butts together, stay together?" That might not be how the actual saying goes, but parents who are teaching their children how to use the potty share the unique bonding experience of having to teach their child how to wipe their backside.

You've Got A Game Plan

Like I said, potty training is a team sport. It involves a strategic game plan that both parents need to be on board with. When my husband and I started talking about potty training our son, we treated it like we were preparing to play in the Super Bowl, and we executed our potty plan like a group of Navy Seals on a mission.

You Can Tag Team The Training

Potty training is hard. I've wanted to give up trying to potty train my oldest son more than a few times. The text messages I've sent during potty training paint a very vivid picture of the emotional struggle I've been facing but, thankfully, when my partner gets home from work he's already aware of the battle I've been fighting, and I'm able to tag him in while I recover. He takes over the potty training and I get a much needed break to retrieve my sanity and wash the urine out of my hair.

You Have To Be Able To Find The Humor In The Situation

I'm so thankful that my husband and I are able to laugh at the horror that is teaching our son how to use the toilet. Potty training is seriously gross. I've had poop on my hands more times than I'm comfortable with, and I'm beginning to think that our son will still be wearing diapers when he enrolls in college. It's stressful and frustrating, and if we weren't able to laugh at the crazy, we'd both go insane.

You Can Split The Clean Up Duty

When we're both home, my husband and I take turns with the Clorox wipes. Though our son is getting better with his aim and bladder control, accidents still happen and those accidents are usually sticky, so we alternate the clean up duty as much as possible. I never thought that getting a break from cleaning up poop would feel like a mini vacation, but here I am.

You Have Someone To Cry To When Potty Training Just Isn't Happening

Parents sharing the potty training duty both succeed and fail together, and inevitably, there's going to be some fails that happen during a child's journey towards independent peeing. When those fails happen, it's nice to have a partner to vent to and who understands the epic and sticky struggle.

You've Can Hype Each Other Up

Sometimes you need a little extra motivation to soldier through the potty training process. Having a partner who is as equally invested in potty training as you are, can help you to keep your head up when you're ready to throw in the towel. I won't lie, my partner and I have cranked up the radio and had potty training pep talks in our kitchen, before our kids were up, to get ourselves pumped up. We've become incredibly cool since procreating. Clearly.

You Can Drink In Front Of Each Other Judgment Free Before It's Socially Acceptable When Potty Training Isn't Going So Well

Sometimes wine is the solution to the problem, and sometimes that problem occurs before lunch time. When you're fed up and frustrated, a liquid elixir can help to revive your spirit, and having a partner who understands the struggle and who won't judge you in your moments of weakness, can be such a relief. I treated last Saturday morning like I was brunching with my girlfriends, because I was about to explode if I had to mop our floors clean of urine one more time. Thankfully, my husband didn't judge me, and he took over the training duties while I sought refuge in a large glass.