Expecting the Unexpected

Things I never expected to be part of my life ....

1. constipation - getting my 5 year old son to have daily bowel movements through the use of bribery, with a thin veneer of positive reinforcement. He earns marbles when he produces a BM; more when he does so without reminder, fewer when he is prodded by me, my husband or a teacher.
2. daytime wetting management - urine-soaked underwear and trousers on a daily basis, accompanied by the words, "I forgot" or "I didn't feel it". The alleged sensory loss was sudden, happened overnight, and exactly coincided with the beginning of kindergarten. Hmmm.
3. nighttime wetting - at the age of 5, and I've been told by my kids' pediatrician to expect it through age 6-7.

I also never thought I would be begging my husband to wake up, get out of bed, and help me get children dressed and fed, and with actual lunches made, by a specified time every M-F morning. It seems incredible but these things never occurred to me. I thought he would get up by himself and do these things without regular prodding. I guess I also never really thought about who would do these things in a family -- I certainly didn't assume it would be me, or me solo. In my limited imagination (having given these topics no attention) I suppose I thought my children would pop out of the womb fully self-sufficient.