Parents are in charge. Mollycoddling parents, with the ease of disposable diapers, are unwilling to see this aggravating process through. Potty training is not for children but for parents. It is the first great test of parenthood as well as of authority. Wait until the size 6 Pampers on this one, and you'll find yourself with a teen who has parrot hair, a pierced chin and misspelled tattoos.
Pediatricians have the source of children's anxiety wrong.
It's not the potty training stressing the children, it is waffling parents who fear their own children. Children are like dogs - if they sense fear, they move in for the kill because they have a sixth sense. They throw fits in grocery stores, not your isolated back yard. They understand, better than our congressional leaders, the value of witnesses, especially when a parent is on the edge. I myself have no fear of my children.