How to Teach a Boy to Not Leave the Toilet Seat Up
Leaving the toilet seat up--it's one of those age-old male habits that can make women cringe and cause men to bluster defensively. Regardless of your personal opinion on your toilet seat's position, common courtesy requires that young boys learn the habit of leaving the toilet seat down. Teaching a boy not to leave the toilet seat up can be done, but it requires patience, persistence and a sense of humor.
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Instructions
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Introduce the concept of not leaving the toilet seat up during the potty training process. According to pyschologist Jean Piaget's widely-accepted theory of cognitive development, children between the age of 2 and 7 years are egocentric (self-centered) in how they think and see the world around them. Explain why it's important not to leave the toilet seat up, but don't expect your child to completely comprehend the concept of courtesy and being nice to others. If he feels that you're asking him to do something unfair, point out that the girls in the household have to lower the toilet lid each time they use the bathroom, too.
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Demonstrate the correct condition your son should leave the bathroom in after he relieves himself. Boys tend to want to leave the bathroom as quickly as possible after relieving themselves, which can lead to a raised toilet seat, messy bathroom and lack of proper hygiene. Show your son how to lower the toilet seat and the lid slowly so they don't slam against the base of the toilet. Allow him to demonstrate that he can lower the toilet seat and the lid himself without slamming them. Don't forget to have him wash his hands and dry them off thoroughly, returning the towel to its correct location before leaving the bathroom.
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Provide a system of rewards and consequences. Conduct a check each time your boy uses the bathroom to see if he's lowering the toilet seat as you requested and reward his behavior accordingly. For instance, you might place a jar in a prominent location; put a stone in the jar each time your boy leaves the toilet seat down and take a stone out of the jar each time he leaves the toilet seat up. At the end of the day, allow him to "cash" his stones in for a reward such as a small toy or some candy.
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Be consistent and practice what you preach. Enforce your system of rewards and consequences every day to help your boy more quickly learn to lower the toilet seat and lid. Don't forget to lower the toilet seat and lid every time you use the restroom yourself; if bathroom etiquette is important for your child to learn, you should practice it, too.
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