I'm still reading all of the email and comments that you wrote about potty-training, and I cannot thank you enough for adding your thoughts. I had asked Jon before I wrote last week's post if he thought it was the right thing to do, to share this experience, because I have been harshly criticized in the past when I've written about Leta's problem with constipation. And he made the point that this is specifically one of those times when parenthood feels so incredibly isolating because we don't have many friends whose children have ever had this issue. Jon, especially, doesn't ever sit around with other fathers and talk about how horrifying it is when their children get UTIs, and there could be a whole community of fathers there who are wondering how the hell to solve this problem, a community just waiting to be tapped into, but when was the last time you heard a man having a serious talk with another man about a vagina? Whereas, when was the last time you heard a woman having a serious talk with another woman about something other than a penis? SEE WHAT I'M SAYING?

So thank you for letting us know how to get through this, for reminding us that we are not alone. This is a perfect example of why I think people read personal websites and why I continue to write one. It helps to know that other people have lived through the same thing, plain and simple.

And with your support I was finally able to come up with what I think is an appropriate response to Catherine and other people like her. Because those people deserve a thoughtful reply.

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