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Monday, January 4, 2010

Separation Anxiety

It started a couple of weeks ago. KiKi wet her pants. No big deal. I changed her pants, told her that big girls use the potty and thought little of it. Then it happened again and again and again. It is to the point that I am running out of clean underpants and trousers for the child! My washing machine is going at full tilt all the time. I am resisting the urge to put her back in diapers, because she *IS* toilet trained. She knows how to do it!

Then I got to thinking. Then I did some Googling (cause Google is never wrong). Talked to my Granny (cause Granny is never wrong either). Then came to a conclusion. The first time she wet her pants was a couple of weeks before my husband left for Afghanistan. Yes, he was here, but it was a time where maybe emotionally it was a bit strained around here. It was a time of frenzy. Maybe a conversation within earshot of the kids happened, I'm not sure. I am sure she knew that something was up. We told the kids about the deployment, and LaLa gets it. She knows Daddy is going to work in Afghanistan for a long time, of course not knowing the full implications of that. KiKi, well she just knows Daddy isn't home.

I know every child takes a deployment differently. LaLa has become a bit clingy and a bit overbearing. She has also started to test her boundaries to see how much she can get away with (not much La, sorry.) KiKi has regressed. I know it will eventually stop (at least before she is married) and I am trying NOT to yell, scold, and be "mean mommy" about it. I know this time is difficult for her, but it is also difficult for me.

I am so not looking forward to having to re-train her, but it looks like my only option at this point. Reward M&M's anyone?