HECK, YES! IT NEVER GETS EASIER TO NEED IT, BUT THERE IS A KIND OF ACCEPTANCE (LIKE I KNOW I CAN’T POTTY MYSELF, SO ASKING FOR HELP IS JUST WHAT I HAVE TO DO. BUT EVEN W/MY HUSBAND (WHO HAS POTTIED ME PROBABLY 13, 628+ TIMES ),I STILL WAIT UNTIL THE LAST SECOND TO GO–I HATE INTERRUPTING PEOPLE IN THEIR CONVERSATIONS/ACTIVITIES TO TAKE ME!

PLUS, I AM VERY INDEPENDENT, & OFTEN REFUSE HELP WHEN IT’S NEEDED. SOMETIMES THAT HAS BEEN GOOD: THERE ARE MANY THINGS I DO NOW, BECAUSE I REFUSED HELP. THAT’S WHERE THE “RESILIENCE” (THOUGH I JUST THINK I’M STUBBORN!) KICKS IN…4 EX., I CAN NOW GET MYSELF CERTAIN FOODS, OPEN THE CONTAINERS & FEED MYSELF. WHY? BEFORE IT WAS GIVEN TO ME, OPENED 4 ME, & FED 2 ME. I COULD STILL HAVE IT DONE THAT WAY. BUT 1 DAY, I REFUSED HELP & I KEPT REFUSING PERIODICALLY, UNTIL THERE WAS SUCCESS…

SINCE I SHARE THE HELP TIME I GET W/A TODDLER, I THINK THAT A LOT OF MY RECENT PROGRESS HAS 2 DO W/THE FACT THAT I DON’T HAVE SOME1 DOTING (SP?) OVER ME ALL THE TIME, SO I GET THE CHANCE 2 DO STUFF. PLUS, I AM OFTEN ENCOURAGED 2 TALK BY HIM!

BUT THE KEY IS KNOWING WHEN TO GIVE IN… WHEN I WAS LEARNING, 4 ME, THE KEY WAS IF I STARTED FEELING FRUSTRATED, THEN IT’S TIME TO QUIT & TRY AGAIN NEXT TIME. IF I MANAGED 2 GET TO WHERE I WAS UPSET BECUZ NO1 OFFERED HELP, OR IF I FELT IMPATIENT (I.E. I THOUGHT, “I JUST WANT TO EAT!”), THEN I HAD WAITED TOO LONG TO ASK 4 HELP.