To Potty Train, or Not To Potty Train....

Okay, so this little post is more of a plea to all you mothers out there who have survived the whole potty training ordeal. The girls have hit a standstill....and are showing absolutely no inclination to further their potty independence. They use the potty when they want to, and don't use the potty when they don't want to. No amount of bribing, pleading, reminding, or rewarding appears to be able to change that (seriously....where, oh WHERE did these little girls get such stubbornness and independence from?). A few days ago, I read a magazine article on this very matter - potty training. In the article, it mentioned that sometimes it is necessary to take a complete break from the whole PT endeavor and simply go back to diapers for a week, 2 weeks, a month....etc.

This is where my plea comes in - do you wise and all-knowing PT Veterans out there agree with this suggestion? Do you think taking a break from the daily fights and hassle of PT and regressing back to diapers is a good idea? Part of me welcomes this idea with open arms - I would love a break from the broken-record dialogue of "Do you need to use the potty?" which is usually followed with screaming and the running away of two cute little booties. But, at the same time, I feel like such a break might totally destroy all of our efforts and advancements up to this point. If you advise against the break, perhaps you could suggest a few tips and tricks that worked out for your little tykes? So far, we have tried pull-ups and no pull-ups; panties and bare booties; sticker charts; candy treats, rewards and bribes; and princess panties and magic potties. I have read about using timers, but haven't yet tried it....I also thought about trying money jars, but since I don't use cash too often, I just need to make a trip to the bank to get some penny, nickel, and quarter rolls. Seriously...I am at a loss right now. I know the girls will get it eventually - they're smart little gals, they just don't have an interest in using the "big girl" potties right now.

So, to all you wise and knowledgeable mothers out there who have successfully endured this same struggle with your little ones, any tips, tricks, suggestions, or advice would be deeply and greatly appreciated right now. And, on that note, here's a little potty humor I found that pretty much sums up the bulk of how we spend our days...