WELL what a difference a week makes. I don’t know whether he read the column last week or what but, by golly, I think the boy has got it! Never have I been so pleased to hear the news that the boy did the necessary on target..

Wasn’t there to witness the groundbreaking event myself but I am assured from several eye witnesses that it was a well placed deposit that was conducted in a self-assured and confident manner.

Writing this, I am acutely aware I have become a mother who is obsessed with her child’s aforementioned deposits. I knew this was becoming a problem when friends and family would ring and dispense with the usual pleasantries, replacing them with,“Has he done a poo yet?” Poor boy is completely unaware so many people are taking an interest in his potty success rate.

I will talk about something else soon, I promise, but it really has become allconsuming.

I was bracing myself for weeks of hell, and I am not kidding myself that there might well be a relapse, but you do hear of kids taking months to get the hang of it. I don’t think I could maintain that level of encouragement and excitement of the least likeable bodily functions for that period of time.

I am suspicious, though, that Ben is using my obsession with the potty to his own advantage. The other morning I was doing my utmost to get him in the car and he was doing everything possible to avoid it.

Twenty minutes late he was coaxed out of the house and, just as I was on the verge of pinning him into his car seat, he announced he needed to go.

I looked him straight in the eye and said “Really?”, to which he replied, “Of course”. He definitely had the look of “do you want to risk it” about him so I whipped him out of the car and within seconds he was sat on the throne.

Moments later he stood up, looked at the clean bowl beneath, shrugged and said, “Oh well”. I tried hard to maintain a dignified manner and show that his ability to gain the upper hand had not phased me but, on reflection, I did neither of those things. His newfound bladder control may well not be the joyous event I was hoping for.