As of now, there is no official patron saint of potty-training. However, if a particular saint intercedes on behalf of harried parents everywhere, s/he could potentially have the honor of that particular patronage. With that in mind, I have narrowed the options down to three candidates: Zeno of Verona (patron of children learning to walk and speak), Vincent Ferrer (patron of plumbers), and Dymphna of Gheel (in addition to being the patron saint of people suffering from mental illness, she is also the patron saint of family harmony). Think it over, then cast your vote... but hurry! I need all the help I can get. The poll will be here in this post and also on the side-bar (right under the Carnival of Children's Literature section) until next Monday.
21 comments:
Zeno clearly gets my vote. Legend has it he was briefly replaced by a demon changeling as a toddler, and we can guess he was a late walker and talker. From this we can deduce that his "terrible twos" perhaps lasted well into the threes and fours. Plus I feel compelled to support a saint who is known for smiling.
I picked Dymphna--you're gonna need all the help you can get and she seems like she owuld be prefect for comforting parents going through potty training with "stubborn" children. Plus she is a "she" and I bet your DD would appreciate that!
Dymphna of Gheel. You have to have someone on your side that can get you to laugh, and the name, no disrespect meant mind you, but the name makes me smile and laugh. Which is exactly what you need when you're in a dire situation, isn't it?
I had to vote for Dymphna, mainly because she's a women and who does most of the potty training? It's a shame about her evil crazy father though. It's not a very happy, victorious story, is it? What about a female saint known for honor, bravery, learning new skills, self control, order and cleanliness?
Cloudscome-- Re: What about a female saint known for honor, bravery, learning new skills, self control, order and cleanliness? It's a great idea! Please, find me that saint. I'm getting wiggy over here. I wonder if I should have put Martha (sister of Mary of Bethany) on the poll.
HWM: You betcha.
Writinginmyhead: I agree with you totally. Dymphna has a pretty strong following which is why I didn't immediately pick her, though. So far, no one has voted for Vincent of Ferrer. He is the patron saint of plumbers, ergo there's a connection. I mean, St. Vitus is invoked against oversleeping, and that's because someone threw a rooster in the vat of oil along with poor Vitus.
Tony/Bede: As you know, a lot of my smiling lately is actually a gritting of the teeth.
Poor Vincent isn't getting any love. And yet, I had to go with Zeno, as it most clearly falls into his sphere of influence. That said, you should certainly ask Dymphna to intercede as well.
I'm going to have to go with Dymphna - mental health and all - though I really like the idea of Martha. My browser can't handle the poll, so please add my vote in. Thanks!
Well, I went for Vincent. Perhaps there can be separate Patron saints for children learning to use the potty (St. Vincent) and for parents trying to train their children to use the potty (St. Dymphna). One you didn't consider, though, is St. Monica, who won her son over to a new way of life through tireless prayer and many tears of sorrow.
And, I have to say, that is THE coolest training potty I've ever seen. I'm sure my youngest girl would have been potty trained long before age 4 if we'd had one of those. Only one thing about it bothers me - the space for books. Shouldn't kids learn to go potty before they start reading?
BlueMamma: Are you kiddiing? We would be lost without the space for books in the potty chair. (The potty chair pictured is much fancier than our own). Lucia loves to look at books on the potty.
Poor St. Monica. She really had a hard row to hoe. Scratch that-- she had a hard GARDEN to row. I'm glad you voted for St. Vincent. The patron saint of plumbers should get a little credit!
I have never (and thankfully, WILL never) get to experience potty training. Actually, all three of your choices sounded good, but I went with Dymphna just because the whole ordeal sounds so...well, like an ordeal. Maybe a new conglomerate saint is needed. VinZenoPhna of FerOnaGheel?
I had to vote for Dymphna. Once potty training is finished, family harmony will be complete once again! :)
Mary Lee: The conglomerate saint sounds like a good idea. I'm starting to think that I need a Potty Training Saint Triumvirate.
Noodle: I know I will definitely feel less of a temptation to self-medicate!
I have to go with Zeno. Seems like a better fit with her skill set.
hmmm... it's a close call, but I vote for Zeno - Wombat decided he wanted to be potty trained at 10 months - he'd wait until I took his nappy off before doing the dirty, and then let go! so I started sitting him on a potty and we went from there... 4 months later & we are still playing the game :P I have to tell you, potty training with a child who can't speak yet is a whole different challenge!!!
I don't know if you are settled in your technique, but when I was looking for ideas I found a plan that seemed very common sense-ical for an older child... silly me didn't save a link to it, but after searching Google for 15 minutes I've found it! You probably have your own methods, but there might be some ideas here as well:
http://www.pregnancy.com.au/toilet_train_today.htm
Good luck!
I've got to go for Zeno. Fishing is GREAT, and the "release" part of fishing fits in with the "release" in potty training. Hope that doesn't sound sick! I wouldn't know, not having kids, but that just makes sense to me. I remember my brother having a major issue with the poop thing. Maybe I'm just a sobering dork. LOL
Lady K: You are very funny. I'm warming up to Zeno quite a bit, though I will assent to the final vote.
Schelle: Thanks for the link! We're kind of doing the same thing (I think) sans wet-dolly. Lucia is beginning to get it, too. Hope, pray, cross fingers.
Limpy99: I just can't get over the legend of how Zeno was supposed to have been replaced with a demon changeling as a child. I mean, what parent at some point hasn't thought, "Who IS this kid?!"
Late to the poll, but I'd go with St Elizabeth Anne Seaton. If forced to vote for one of the above, Dymphna of Gheel seems the most logical choice.
Dymaxion: Seton is a good choice! I wish I had thought of her 4 years ago. (I am thankful that potty-training is no longer a topic in our household.) Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
St. Erasmus (Elmo), hands down. Of old, his aide was invoked in helping children with intestinal problems, and is considered the patron saint for such problems. Given that potty training involves the intestines, and many children are familiar with the name Elmo, it would be fitting to invoke St. Elmo for potty training.
Richard: Elmo does make good sense! Thanks for stopping by sharing that perspective. My 9 year old daughter would say, "Elmo, ewwwwww," but she would say the same thing about potty-training, too.
Post a Comment