08 September 2012

More Children Not Toilet Trained by School Age.

The main reason is that parents don't bother teaching their kids where to put their poop, claims The Independent

Most primary school teachers see a large increase in the number of "accidents" that happen in school.  I wonder if UK schools expect children to stay in school all day for kindergarten as they do here.  I also wonder if they are starting to drill, drill, drill those children as we do.

I'm telling you, things are different today.  Even though Emperor would only be in fifth grade were he in school, the schools have changed into little testing factories since he left in kindergarten.  (It has always been a teach-to-the-test environment to an extent, but it's more extreme now.)  Could children who have only been regularly using the restroom for a year or two be more prone to have accidents under stress or in a new situation?

I think so.  It's also obvious to me that with a sharp increase in autism worldwide, that there would also be a sharp increase in the number of children who haven't quite mastered this skill by school age.  Woodjie is severely autistic and has had occasional accidents at school.

Commenters (God bless 'em!) posit that certain ethnic groups are more prone to be "little soilers" and wonder why children should even be allowed to stay home (when the state can raise them better, I guess). 


12 comments:

  1. Sad to admit it, but when I met my estranged brother's 'son' a few years ago, the child was 3 1/2 and had no idea how to use a potty. The child had been raised by television and left in diapers. The parents were lazy and had no interest in teaching him.

    On the Autism front, I will say we were terrified that our daughter would be taking Pull-Ups to school with her because she didn't completely potty train until she was 4 1/2 years old. We started just before her second birthday when she showed interest and the ability to control her bladder....and it was a horrendous adventure. :/

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    1. I'm sure there are some parents out there like that, but they have to be kinda rich to afford diapers they wouldn't need if they put a little effort into it.

      I'm terrified my son will still have accidents as an adult, how 'bout that? Yay, I just one-upped ya, huh... :/

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  2. Toilet training any kid is a nightmare! Having 'trained' 8 I know how hard it can be.
    To suggest that the 'state schools' could do a better job of it is ridiculous!

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  3. Perhaps diet and/or constipation have something to do with "accidents" as well as kids being nervous in a new situation and not sure about asking permission to go or even not being sure where the toilets are.
    I'm concerned about the worldwide increase in Autism. Surely there has to be a reason for this and is it being looked into?

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    1. I would tend to think that it is genetic BUT is manifesting itself largely as a result of environment. Only think of all the plastics we use, the chemicals that are in our water and air, the fact that we all are importing things from around the world and are no longer mostly using locally-made things...

      I am no scientist, but I wouldn't wonder if 100 years ago, my children were not so affected as to even have the autism (which I believe to be genetic) be detectable.

      But who really knows? They say it is not the vaccines, but guess what vaccines are only a small part of our environment...

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  4. I wonder if autism is really the issue, or truly more lazy, clueless parents. Even though pull-ups are expensive... people will spend money on things without thinking about it sometimes if it is deemed necessary. Think about how many people are walking around with i-phones they probably can't really afford.

    Oh, and I definitely understand the autism and toileting issue. Boy, do I! I am just thankful that my guy can at least use the toilet consistently for #2 - we're still working on #1, and he's going on 10. I actually worry about it less than I used to, but I do have sudden stabs of panic once in a while. Yet, we keep on keeping on. :o)

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    1. I can't imagine doing this without disposables... and I can't imagine pulling this "lifestyle" with six children!! :)

      Our problems are with #2. Doesn't happen often, but when it does, BIG people really, really smell bad.

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  5. Can I tell my poop story? Well, I'll go on ahead...Ben was toilet trained for #1 when he was 2 years old. Okay...I started a couple of weeks before his third birthday, praying we would make it before so I could say he was 2. Dang straight, kid made it. Maybe it had something to do with the can of Sprite before he entered the toilet. I know it helped.

    We would sit there for what seemed like hours for #2. I even saw a book at the bookstore. "Look, Ben, Everybody Poops!(Name of the book was "Everybody Poops"...)

    "Not me." he says.

    Turns out the kid liked apples. Three apples before entering the toilet were helpful. It won't work for everybody, though. Seems apples can cause constipation for some, and we didn't need any of that!!

    Sorry...just had to get my story in. My sister saved me regarding toilet training. It is a power play for some kids, and they know just how to win. She saved me from that, and gave me the can of soda idea. She had a hellatious time with all her boys, and it was hard won wisdom for her, and I'm glad she passed it on.

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    1. THREE apples? I don't think most people could possibly eat three apples at a time. For us much of the problem is that Woodjie doesn't know how to get to the bathroom FAST when he is not familiar with a new place. So yay he has all his accidents in public for maximum embarrassment/difficulty cleaning up fun!

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  6. It's exactly as you suggested. My child is not autistic, though we suspect there is some hyperactivity. Anyway, she was COMPLETELY potty trained before starting school, but the stress caused more and more accidents...even at home. This is another of the many reasons homeschooling became an option for us.

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    1. It is really hard to see your child lose skills you KNOW she has, and in such a public place, too. Part of the reason we homeschooled Elf is this aspect, but his problem was becoming overwhelmed in crowds. Still is. :)

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Non-troll comments always welcome! :)

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