Dear Moms,

Let's BRAINSTORM about "Toilet Training". Toilet training not only teaches your child a new skill, but also is used by God to train us mothers for the Kingdom of God. It is God's, way of instilling endless patience, abundance of grace, and not to mention, a sense of humor. To a toddler learning to potty train is like us big people learning a new language. The rules have changed. What was ok before and actually made sense (wetting diapers) is no longer acceptable. Mom, your toddler has no idea why wetting his pants is making you so frustrated; after all, he or she has done this since he arrived.

So what's a mother to do? Introduce this new skill slowly, explain it throughly, proceed with patience, and give rewards. When in doubt err towards love. This is a great time to put 1 Cor. 13 into practice.

Questions, Comments, Ideas?

ASK ELLEN. I'd love to hear from you.