The White Wolf's New Life

The White Wolf vs Potty Training (again)

If the mentions of toileting bother you, don't read. I didn't really describe Bucky actually going. It described more of him sitting on it.

In the almost two years Steve has had Bucky, his recovery has seen more positives than negatives. Mentally, it was still an ongoing process. Physically, he was doing much better than when Steve first got him. He had a good diet, sometimes. His weight was finally balancing out.

One thing Steve needed to seriously work on is personal hygiene, mainly toileting. This was Bucky's major problem in the bathroom. The shower was no big deal, Bucky loved it. He was still figuring out scrubbing but he wasn't refusing. Toileting was more of a mental issue than physical because every time Steve mentioned it Bucky acted up. But right now it was becoming crucial that he comes out of diapers because Bucky was almost four and Steve was worried that since Bucky would be going out more to socialize when it warmed a bit more, he should be able to use the public bathroom like a big boy.

"Bucky, can we talk about something?" Steve asked. Bucky looked at him. They, Chase and Harley were sitting in Bucky's sensory room. "We need to address the toilet."

"No."

"Buck, you are almost four. We need to start making a change." Bucky continued to shake his head. Steve sighed then looked through his tablet for anything helpful. This was going to be difficult because they were fighting trauma and learning through trauma was not easy for anyone, especially trauma like Bucky's. "Bucky, I think you will like being in pullups and having more access to the bathroom more. Don't you want to take care of yourself a bit more?" Bucky just looked at him. Steve knew candy would work only up to a certain point but there was a barrier that wasn't breaking.

Steve was determined to break that barrier soon.

"I think there is a way to get you potty trained. I think you are at a point where you can recognize the feeling but you are mentally scared of the toilet. I think we can work around that."

"No."

"Okay," Steve did a little research then something struck out at him. A chart. If the child goes either number one or two at least five times, they get a special prize like stickers. Bucky wasn't interested in stickers, his reward system was candy based. Maybe instead of stickers, he could do special treats like cookies and ice cream. Yeah, that might help. "I have an idea, let's go downstairs." They all went downstairs to Steve's office. Steve busied himself on the computer while Bucky busied himself by coloring on the white paper. Suddenly the printer came to life. It spat out a paper with lines. "Now we go to the kitchen." They went to kitchen, Steve stuck the paper to refrigerator with a magnet. "This is Bucky's potty chart. So whenever you go one or two in the toilet, you get a sticker and once you get five you'll get a special treat like ice cream."

"Ice cream."

"Yeah, I'll even be easy on you so every time you try or sit on the toilet, you'll get a piece of candy. Sound like a deal?" Steve held out his hand. Bucky didn't understand that so Steve held up a high five and Bucky high fived him. "This seals our deal. You try, your get a reward. You go successfully five times, you get a special treat. I won't take anything away if there is an accident. It's progress. Okay?"

"Kay."

"Do you think you can try to sit down on the toilet first?" Bucky somewhat shook his head, Steve decided to test his limits first. He got two bags of jellybeans, they went back upstairs but into Steve's bathroom. "Can you try to sit on it?"

"No. No." He backed up a little. Steve gently got his hand to stop him from leaving. Bucky whined then shook his head.

"It will not hurt you, I promise." Bucky didn't care about it hurting him. It was something else that was going on. "Bucky."