thoughts on potty training...

potty training seems to consume a lot of our lives these days. the girls are actually doing quite well, which i am happy about. what i am not happy about are the occasional slip-ups that occur when i think we are finally in the clear.
for instance, after a long spell of no accidents, the other day at the park i said to the girls "okay, one more time down the slide and then we need to go home so you can take a potty-break" (we had gone to the park directly from the store, so it had been a while). anyway, immediately after this announcement, tilly stops right where she stands and starts peeing her pants. ugh. why?
on the way home i kept saying "tilly, we need to wait until we get to a bathroom before we go--if we don't it feels gross" (she had been whining about being all wet, and i didn't anticipate an accident enough to bring extra clothes).
anyway, so we get home and i take her into the bathroom, and i realize that she didn't just go pee, but worse. as i am cleaning up the mess, trying not to gag, i just kept asking her "why tilly? why did you do this?" she just looked at me like, 'what's the big deal?'
throughout this whole potty-training process, i have often thought about how it relates to our experiences as children of God on earth. when it comes to potty-training, i lose patience too often. i guess inwardly i think, 'this should just come naturally, shouldn't it?'or 'why won't it just click already?'
because Heavenly Father is perfectly patient, he will never give up on us when we make mistakes. he knows that things that come so naturally to him will only come to us with practice, and often beginning again. he has faith that one day, things will finally "click" for us with continued practice.
i am especially grateful for the patience he has with me as a mom. i feel like every day i do something to fall short, but i am so grateful for second chances and for the opportunities given me through my little girls to grow and progress. hopefully someday i will get there--and with no accidents:)