Lazy Parenting: It works for me!

When the boys turned 2 and the pediatrician learned they still took bottles at nighttime, she raised her eyebrows and told us it would only get harder to wean them. We ignored her. A few months later, we started weakening the bottles because, really, it was bad for their teeth to have milk just before sleeping. Pretty quickly we just stopped the bottles altogether. We got maybe one or two very brief, very mild protests -- more like questions really. "Bottle?" Then it was done. No more bottles, thank you very much.

Now, it seems that Eddie has completely and of his own volition given up his "goo" or pacifier. (Short lesson on the etymology of the word "goo": When he was, oh, about 6 months old, Eddie started reaching for things he wanted and jabbering "google google google" very rapidly. Usually what he wanted was his pacifier. We started calling it his google and eventually it shortened to "goo." This seems to confuse people to no end. A paci? A binky? These are terms people understand. Goo? Not so much. But that's part of the wonder of our boys.) Chas did the same thing when he was about six months old (giving up the goo, not naming it such) and started getting teeth. But that didn't seem like quite the feat as giving up something that has been a source of comfort for nearly three years.

Many of my nephews have all held onto their pacifiers to the point where there was pleading, bribing, tears and recriminations among their parents in the effort to get them to give it up. I expected a bit of that, so being someone who likes to put off unpleasantness as long as possible I put off the idea of weaning him from the goo. And presto! He does it himself. It took him a start and stop but a few nights ago he asked me to take his goo away while he was in bed, the better to avoid temptation I guess, and we've not heard or seen a goo since.

So to sum it up, my parenting style of laziness and avoidance of unpleasant tasks seems to be working like a charm. Therefore, and without regret (I hope) I am vowing not to seat the potty training. I suspect some day soon they'll take charge like they have with everything else. I'll offer a potty. I'll suggest a potty but I'm not going to fret about it. For at least another six months.