Potty Trained Ain't all it's Cracked up to Be

After spending 3 years dreaming wistfully about the day that LM would stop using diapers, I have come to realize that a potty trained kid ain't all sunshine and rainbows.  Gone are the days when we could just throw him in the car and go.  Now, I have to think about when he last went and whether he can hold it until the next destination.  Sometimes there are messy accidents if he does not remember to make it to the potty.  Last Friday we were leaving to go to daycare about 20 minutes away and I knew that he had not taken a morning pee.  I told him that we were not leaving until he went potty, and he had a fit.  He refused to go and started screaming when Mari took him in the powder room.  He also refused to put on a diaper for the ride.  I started to leave without him because I did not want him to pee in my car.  Then I thought to suggest that he pee on a plant outside.  He thought this was a good compromise and agreed.  So I pulled down his pants and he peed on my lavender plant.  Win win because human urine is acidic and has yummy vitamins for growing plants.
The weekend was beautiful and we went to Rock Creek Park to bike ride.  During our outing he wanted to potty again, determined to pee into Rock Creek.  I wouldn't let him get close to the bank, but I let him let loose on some nearby plants.  Why not? It is socially acceptable for guys to whip it out when restrooms are out of range; and it is good for the plants.
So I thought that everything was cool with LM's new relationship with nature.  Until I saw him relieving himself on the deck of our friend's apartment during a children's birthday party.  Yeah, so apparently I didn't explain the appropriate places vs. the not appropriate places and so he just innocently concluded that the world was his potty!