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.
We are in the throes of potty training with my two-year-old, and itâsâŠgoing (consider all puns intended hereinafter). Surprisingly, I've had some profound revelations between my tested patience and gentle parenting practice.
Hereâs what I learned about life and biz from potty training.
Sometimes improvising works best.
I remixed lyrics to Bubba Sparxxxâs âMs. New Bootyâ in our quest to make sure poop goes in the potty:
âI found youuuu, Mr. Poopy. Gettit togetha, and get out of my booty!â
My toddler now begs to listen to it on repeat during the ride to daycare (RIP my Spotify Wrapped).
This silly rendition makes sitting on the potty less intimidating and brings out the fun side of his millennial motherâweâre 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 isnât linear.
Thanks to the Big Little Feelings âPotty Training Made Simpleâ 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 â failure.
Itâs hard learning a new skill, tool, or job functionâespecially when what youâre coming from is comfortable (like diapers).
Lesson: Take off the diaper. Things will get messy, but that doesnât mean youâve failed.
You can change your mind.
âWhatâs one thing you judged moms for before you had kids, but now you totally understand?â
Now, Iâm a believer. Our Blaze and the Monster Machine and Paw Patrol underwear is a hack for teaching, âwe donât poop on our friends.â Characters are also a harmless way for kids to show their style.
Lesson: Itâs 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 Iâm working on: Upping my TikTok game. Iâve been lurking for too long, and my wit is ready to unleash in video form. Follow @dtc_mom
What Iâm gearing up for: BFCM (Black Friday/Cyber Mondayâitâs a BFD for the ecom world). Iâve been in the Santa spirit since I worked on a CPG retail holiday campaign in April. đ€¶đŒ
Psst - brands, book me now for holiday copy help!
Also, baby-led weaning with my almost 6mo đŽ (More to come on this. Send me your Qs.)
Whatâs saving me this month: Big Little Feelings potty and toddler courses.
New client work Iâm loving: Copywriting for Lalo
Thanks for reading. Share with your potty-training friends. Weâre in this sh*t together.