Positive Reinforcement

September 20th, 2006 by sallad

Green Anole in the bathroomI finally got tired of of the toilets seats being left up in our house.  I like the comfort of knowing the seat will be in the right place when I go in the bathroom.  Thomas and I talked about possible solutions, but he thought he needed some positive reinforcement.  Hah, he’s not getting a cookie when he goes to the bathroom - only Clover gets that kind of love.  I tried my own method…

I stuck bright, funny notes on the inside of the toilet seats.  The one in the guest bathroom says: Keep the aligators in the sewer.  Put the toilet seat down.  While Thomas is just standing there, he can see the reminder to put it down.  Hopefully repetition will reinforce the behavior.

Tonight, when I walked by the bathroom, I saw something green and wiggly on the counter - geez, I told him the aligators would get loose.  Actually, the notes have been working, and the green, wiggly thing was just an Anole that got in the house somehow.

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10 Comments

  1. Comment by Mom — September 20, 2006 @ 10:35 pm

    And Clover didn’t find it first? Bailey obsesses on the little skinks and Anoles around the porch.

  2. Comment by sallad — September 21, 2006 @ 5:31 am

    Nah, he was on the bathroom counter - she can’t see up that high.

  3. Comment by Melissa Shea — September 21, 2006 @ 7:16 am

    Did you keep it? :)

  4. Comment by Mama C — September 21, 2006 @ 7:57 am

    One snuck in yesterday when I opened the kitchen door, but I gently guided it out.

  5. Comment by John S — September 21, 2006 @ 12:11 pm

    I must of course pose the question to you. There’s no generic right answer for everyone but I think that there can be between particular couples:

    Why must Thomas put the seat down every time? I’m sure he’s trained to raise it each time. Why can’t you re-train your behavior to lower it each time?

    I’ll tell you what I do later =)

  6. Comment by Chas — September 21, 2006 @ 9:04 pm

    In USAF basic training, both males and females were trained to leave the toilet seats up in the latrine. I don’t know if it was just so it was easier for them to inspect, or if it was just more sanitary. From a male perspective, if you leave a toilet seat down in a public restroom, it is just inviting someone to pee all over it.

  7. Comment by Mama C — September 22, 2006 @ 8:17 am

    Dallas, I have learned in my nearing 84 years that arguing with a man is a losing battle.

  8. Comment by Derelys — September 22, 2006 @ 9:02 pm

    In my next house, I’ll have 2 toilets in each bathroom–one for leaving the seat up and one for leaving the seat down. Each toilet will have it’s own roll of toilet tissue–one with the paper unrolling from the top and the other with the paper unrolling from the bottom.

  9. Comment by John S — September 25, 2006 @ 10:40 am

    Wow, who’d have thought I’d agree with military protocol!

    Here’s my solution: I went to Lowes and found a seat cover that has a hinge designed to prevent slamming. Now when I’m done I can simply grab the top of the lid and give it a push, it’ll lower itself gently. Since I don’t have to exert any effort (or even bend over) it’s not a problem. My girlfriend leaves it wherever she wants cause I dont really see it as a problem.

    As far as peeing on the lid goes, however, I can’t say I’ve ever done that- even drunk. I’m not fond of piss on my shoes which would be my expected outcome. I am, however, guilty of missing in my past tho’, especially when drunk =)

    J

  10. Comment by Gorski — September 29, 2006 @ 5:18 pm

    Just the seat, not the lid?

    That’ll NEVER keep an alligator out!

    peace,

    –me

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