The Sh*t Issue 💩

Lessons about life + biz from potty training

Hi! Friendly reminder: this is a monthly-ish newsletter by parenting copywriter Maria West (more about me here) where I talk about parenting experiences and interview cool people.

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We are in the throes of potty training with my two-year-old, and it’s…going (consider all puns intended hereinafter). Surprisingly, I've had some profound revelations between my tested patience and gentle parenting practice.

Here’s what I learned about life and biz from potty training.

Sometimes improvising works best.

I remixed lyrics to Bubba Sparxxx’s “Ms. New Booty” in our quest to make sure poop goes in the potty:

“I found youuuu, Mr. Poopy. Gettit togetha, and get out of my booty!”

My toddler now begs to listen to it on repeat during the ride to daycare (RIP my Spotify Wrapped).

@dtc_momI made up potty lyrics to Ms. New Booty and my toddler *begs* to sing this in the car every day. 😅

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This silly rendition makes sitting on the potty less intimidating and brings out the fun side of his millennial mother—we’re all for it.

Lesson: Like too much garlic in your casserole or a potty twist on a hip-hop song, sometimes the unexpected just works.

Progress isn’t linear.

Thanks to the Big Little Feelings “Potty Training Made Simple” course, we nailed the first weekend of potty learning. Then a new daycare class, performance anxiety, and busy life added to the pressure. Accidents still happen multiple times a week.

Messy ≠ failure.

It’s hard learning a new skill, tool, or job function—especially when what you’re coming from is comfortable (like diapers).

Lesson: Take off the diaper. Things will get messy, but that doesn’t mean you’ve failed.

You can change your mind.

“What’s one thing you judged moms for before you had kids, but now you totally understand?”

Licensed character clothing.

Now, I’m a believer. Our Blaze and the Monster Machine and Paw Patrol underwear is a hack for teaching, “we don’t poop on our friends.” Characters are also a harmless way for kids to show their style.

Lesson: It’s okay to change your mind about politics, people, or poop.

Trying out a new format for The Cluster Feed. Let me know what you think or what would be helpful from me in your inbox.

What I’m working on: Upping my TikTok game. I’ve been lurking for too long, and my wit is ready to unleash in video form. Follow @dtc_mom

What I’m gearing up for: BFCM (Black Friday/Cyber Monday—it’s a BFD for the ecom world). I’ve been in the Santa spirit since I worked on a CPG retail holiday campaign in April. 🤶🏼

Psst - brands, book me now for holiday copy help!

Also, baby-led weaning with my almost 6mo 🍴 (More to come on this. Send me your Qs.)

What’s saving me this month: Big Little Feelings potty and toddler courses.

New client work I’m loving: Copywriting for Lalo

Thanks for reading. Share with your potty-training friends. We’re in this sh*t together.