Lizzie's a smart girl. She hears or sees something new just once and it sticks with her FOREVER.
A
I found a 2 minute potty training propaganda movie on YouTube and showed it to Lizzie. It encourages being a big girl. Big girls use the potty. Big girls wear underpants. And big girls pour their own cereal. Really?! I obviously didn't preview the movie before showing it to her and then it was too late. The seed was planted. I knew she would eventually end up trying to sneak into the pantry to pour her own cereal just like a big girl. (Despite the fact that she knows better than to get into the pantry by herself.) Visions of boxes and boxes of cereal being dumped all over the kitchen floor are dancing in my head.
A week later out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of Lizzie tiptoeing to the pantry with a small "play kitchen" bowl in hand and before she even opens the door I run and get my camera because I know exactly what she is doing and why. I am so amused at her predictability that I now want to catch a picture of her caught in the act: Pouring her first bowl of cereal like a big girl. And here it is! (Fortunately, there was no mess. She carefully grabbed it out by the handful.)
I told her she could have Fruit Loops if she shared with Julie. And she did- in full 50/50 portions! She doled them out one at a time, biting each one in half, and giving the other half to her little sis. Julie was very appreciative.
