Japan messes up with potty training

Warning: Potty-training rant begins here -->

Apparently potty-training skills have gone by the wayside in other places too, not just the USA. Japan messes up with potty training.

I just don't get it. What is causing this? It can't be pee/poo phobia, because you still have to deal with pee in diapers, and poop is *way* nastier when you have to wipe it out of your kid's crevices all smashed up several times a day.

Is it T. Berry Brazelton, with his BS about 3-4 year olds not "being ready" to use the toilet? Um yeah, because they've been crapping in their clothing ever since they can remember, it's a firmly entrenched habit! Why *wouldn't* they feel weird about eliminating somewhere else? And what does he think? That babies are born with diapers on? Why is that the supposedly natural stress-free state? When my kid was born, all I know is that he *hated* having poop or pee in his diapers for more than 0.5 seconds, and let me know loud and clear. Then over time he kind of got used to it and complained less. I honestly think I started going diaper-free with him just in time, he was getting way too used to wearing a toilet. Now he comes and tells me right away if he pees or poops and I'm not watching. Mom! Mom! Then I see a little puddle outside, where he has nicely taken himself potty. I dump some water over it and we're done.

Anyways, I'm getting a reputation for this potty-training thing. But how could most babies be out of diapers at 18 months just 25 years ago, and today so many are still wearing diapers at ages 3, 4 even 5! It's not right, it's just not right.

I guess it's the disposables. It's so easy to just leave a soggy diaper on the kid for hours and hours and not think twice about it. It just makes me sad. The MOUNTAINS of garbage around the world. Plastic-wrapped poo bundles by the hundreds of millions. Kids who can TALK, but are still crapping in their pants.

Oh, and how many parents have told me that it grosses them out to think of BREASTFEEDING a kid old enough to talk (which is perfectly normal in the scope of human evolution...3-4 years of breastfeeding has been the norm for, oh...about 10,000 years at least), but they see nothing wrong with that same talking kid still wearing diapers.

Well, let's just blame it on working moms and call it a day. Kidding, KIDDING!

<-- End potty-training rant.