When an MA degree opens new doors

So I did a really intese MA program from 2006-2007, basically working nonstop for a full calendar year. If I wasn't in class I was in the library, and when I was researching and writing my thesis it was gym, 6-8 hour library days, and home, nonstop, for three months.

After I finished my degree in the fall, I spent a month up at my sister's house. This was quite a change of pace... she'd recently given birth and needed help with the baby and her toddler, who hadn't yet been toilet trained. Changing two sets of diapers at once is A LOT of work and completley untenable long-term, so the task of toilet training her fell largely on... yes, me.

Our babysitter had a helpful tip. With kids that age, you have to be TOTALLY enthusiastic about anything you want to get them to do, including going to the bathroom. Otherwise, why would they do it? In diapers you don't have to stop playing just to pee, and you get your parent's attention when you get changed. See? Win-win.

We toilet trained her through a combination of negotiation, bribery with stickers, begging, and trying to present going to the bathroom as The. Most. Exciting. Thing. Ever. And I realized just how much of a break from all things intellectual I was on when I found myself standing over the toilet with my niece, flushing it while saying "Bye bye, pee pee!" (and waving) with all the enthusiasm that I could muster. My niece waved too, earnestly adding, "See you later!"