During the middle of last week, after once again watching Brooklynn glance down at her pants, hold perfectly still for a few seconds, and then look up to announce that she had just peed in her pullups, Rhiannon decided we were done with the slow transition.

We would put her “big-girl panties” on, but it seemed that she was so used to her pull-ups, she would go whenever, wherever. This was a serious regression from where we were earlier in the summer and it was time it ended.

So, on went the underwear. She’s had a couple of accidents at school during the day, but yesterday, she woke up dry from a nap. She woke up dry this morning¹. She’s used potties in Target, the grocery store, and the service station where I got my oil changed. She’s requested to be taken out of the bath and shower because she had to pee.

In short, after those couple accidents, a light bulb turned on and she understands we live in a world where it is not desirable to pee freely around our domicile.

While she almost always comes to tell us that she has to go, she is also capable of going to her small potty, lifting the lid, pulling down her own underwear and going pretty much by herself. And, almost every time, when she finishes, she quietly cheers, “Yeah, Brooklynn!” to herself.

Self confidence is not something she lacks.