There is no more liberating moment in a novice parent's life than when a toddler completes his rigorous toilet training regimen. That, and when a baby finally sleeps through the night.

As a mother of five, I write from experience. Before children, I didn't understand the awe parents expressed when telling bathroom stories. After children, however, bowel movements -- consistency, size and frequency -- became a topic I discussed at length and without embarrassment.

My interest in all things potty was rekindled when my son and his wife decided it was time for their twins to take The Big Step. I'm not sure my opinion was sought, but I offered it anyway.

Which was this: Don't fret. They won't walk down the aisle wearing diapers.

I haven't always been this cavalier about children's milestones, but time and experience have pummeled me into submission. Truth is, I can't remember the exact ages at which my children made the switch. I do recall that my youngest, who desperately wanted to join one of his older brothers at preschool, was toilet trained the very morning a teacher told him big-boy underwear was an admission requirement.

Fifteen years later, toilet training isn't what it used to be. It has become, like so much of child-rearing, one more yardstick, one more status race, one more potential trauma.

As we were applauding my grandchildren in the bathroom, mothers on the Web were debating the merits of early potty training. How early? Six months.

Yes, you read right. Six months. Who thought pooping could be so competitive?

Turns out that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's baby was toilet trained at that age. In an interview that made the rounds, mother and supermodel Gisele Bundchen said she had accomplished this amazing feat with a manual. Now little Benjamin deposits No. 2s like clockwork right after breast feeding in the morning and afternoon.

No. 1, Bundchen admitted, has proven more difficult. Might it be because Benji doesn't stand yet? Hmmm.

Super Baby Brady may be the best known example of the new "elimination communication'' method that puts a baby on the toilet by 6 months, but there are plenty of other advocates. A pediatrician has written a book, Diaper Free Before 3, supporting early toilet training, and a psychotherapist at Salon.com pointed out that other cultures train their babies before they turn 1.

Once upon a time, I might have been afflicted with an inferiority complex. Now I know better. Now I fear babies will fall victim to society's constant sprint, that mad dash to an invented finish line.

Consider: We've ``instantized'' communication but shrunk the time we spend over family dinners. We've perfected fast food but developed an epidemic of obesity. We are a culture of haste and hurry, of doing everything better, bigger and faster than in the last nanosecond. This might be a good practice in business, but I doubt it translates well to other areas of our lives.

Yes, toilet training readiness can vary considerably from child to child. But potty time before a baby can stand? Before he can speak or walk? When he can barely sit up?

This sounds less like an accomplishment to brag about than a recipe for guilt and frustration. Really, why the rush?