The Poo Poo Fairy - How It All Began!

Hello!   Seeing Paulina and her world of Helper's Hollow come to life has been such a joy and an honor for me -- not to mention just a fabulous adventure!  As a young girl growing up in Utah, I had a very active imagination and loved anything whimsical and magical.  I put that imagination to good use and began writing poetry and stories at a very young age.  Oh, how I dreamed of becoming a real author one day.  I feel so blessed to have had that childhood dream be realized! 

I am excited to have this new spot to share all my thoughts and stories, and what better way to start off Mary's Corner than with the story of how it all began with me and the Poo Poo Fairy! 

Paulina, the Poo Poo Fairy, made her first appearance in my house many years ago as I embarked on my very first potty training adventure with my oldest daughter, Jane, who was two at the time. She is now eight!  I had read books on the subject of potty training, had watched for the signs that Jane was ready, and psyched myself up mentally for the challenge.  Needless to say, I felt thoroughly prepared to begin.  To my great shock and dismay, my first attempt was a dismal failure…and I do mean DISMAL!  Jane became terrified of pooping on the potty and would do everything in her power to hold it in.  This, of course, made her terribly constipated and irritable.   Which, in turn made me terribly irritable as well.

I ended up having to bag potty training, put Jane back in her diapers and pathetically try to teach her how to, again, poop in her diaper.  I even had to use tootsie rolls and her favorite stuffed bunny as visuals.  I am sure you can imagine the rest!  So, instead of making progress with Jane, I took two steps backward and ended up with a very grumpy household!   I had no idea potty training would be such a miserable experience for Jane as well as for me!  Before my next attempt, I was quite determined to make potty training less horrible and even fun, if I could manage it. 

This is when Paulina made her first grand entrance.  I told Jane that the poo poo fairy was going to come and help her learn to use the potty.  Jane knew that Paulina, her special fairy, would be watching her and would reward her when she tried hard and even more so when she had success!  My sweet husband (always willing to go along with my crazy ideas) would stand outside the door playing fairy noises on his cell phone and would then toss a chocolate chip under the door every time Jane would give her best effort.  And when she finally succeeded, Jane would be thrilled to run out to see the prize left by "Paulina."  Throwing this tiny bit of magic into the process made it so much more fun, and we ended up having great success!

Paulina was so helpful with Jane’s potty training adventure that I naturally decided to use it with my son Beckham.  Instead of tears and struggles, Beckham did amazingly well, and it became an activity our whole family (including Jane) could help with and enjoy.  Upon witnessing the success the Poo Poo Fairy had when helping to potty train my children as well as my nieces and nephews, I decided that Paulina could certainly do the same for other children as well.  I began to share the "Poo Poo Fairy" with anyone and everyone encountering difficulties like mine.  I have been awed by Paulina's ability to make potty training a more delightful experience for other children and their parents.  I am so excited to share her now with all of you!

~Mary