The GEM Debate:
Hiring A Potty Trainer: Is It Lazy Parenting? (POLL)
For most of us, potty training a toddler is extremely low on the list of things we would love to do. Wait, it’s probably not even on the list at all. If you’ve ever done it—even for a little while—you know exactly how unpleasant it can be. And, yet, it must be done for the sake of your child, your sanity, and your wallet.
But you don’t have to do it yourself. If you live in New York, you can call on NYC Potty Training to do the dirty job you just don’t want to do. The founder, Samantha Allen, says the phone has been ringing off the hook. Parents who are frustrated with the process, impatient, have other children to tend to, or who work odd or long hours are finding that hiring a potty trainer is the way to go.
Allen has extensive experience in the potty training business. “She has spent more than a decade as an applied behavioral analysis teacher for children with special needs, and potty training was one of her specialties, often being completed in just a few short days. Working with typically developing children—something she was being asked to do on the side by parents who saw her work her magic on other people’s kids—she said the process can be completed in as little as one day.”
As you would expect, this kind of speed and convenience isn’t cheap. If parents request Allen herself, they can expect to pay $925 for one day or $1,750 for two days. She is hiring and training a team of potty trainers who won’t be as pricey as she is.
Related: Guest Posting: The Potty Training Punt: When Nature Calls IN Nature!
This isn’t the most ridiculous parenting thing I’ve ever heard of. Although I wouldn’t pay for a potty training service, I actually can understand why some people would. Yes, it is a lot of money, but obviously those who can afford it are not balking at the price. Potty training is a premium service for which premium prices should be paid.
Some people are arguing that potty training is a parent’s job and farming it out to someone else is lazy. But let’s be real: many parents outsource parenting tasks to other people whether they are day care workers or grandparents. Why should potty training be any different? Besides, many children are potty trained at day cares or schools or a family member handles it on behalf of a busy parent.
I applaud Allen’s ingenuity in starting a business in which she can use her skills and experience and be paid well for it. I have no negative judgment of parents who hire a potty trainer. I chalk potty training up as something that just has to be done and for the most part, I’m going to be the one to do it. However, I don’t think that it’s an essential part of the parenting experience. More power to those who can hire someone else to do it.
Related: Tales From A Twin Mom: 5 Tips To Help Potty Train Your Twins
What do you say? Is it lazy parenting to drop cash on a potty trainer? Would you hire one if you had the disposable income? Join the conversation below or on Facebook.
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