Every mom needs her quiet time. You know, time when you're not negotiating peace treaties, threatening time outs, cleaning up dirty clothes, or dressing the Snow White Barbie in her ball gown for the hundred-thousandth time that day. (Why, oh why, can't they make these outfits easier to put on?!?)
And kids need to be clean, right? They get into crayons and markers. They run around and get sweaty. They put sand in their hair. You get the idea.
Combine the two and you have my favorite sanity saver. Bath Time. Oh, how the angels sing at bath time.
Now that the girls are almost 3 and 5 I can let them bathe largely on their own. Before you start sending concerned comments about me leaving them alone in a tub of water, you should know that I am always right there with them. I am generally not more than a few feet away from them while they are bathing and absolutely always within earshot. But, the fact that I don't have to physically chase them all over the house for the 30 minutes (or hour or two) that they're bathing is blissful. And if I get the hair clean and stinkyness washed off first, they're good to go the rest of their time in the bath.
I can sit beside the door to the bathroom and read a book. Or eat a candy bar. Or just close my eyes and breathe. Ah, the peace of bath time.
And they couldn't be happier. Some cups, some spoons, a few plastic toys and occasionally some food coloring to make the bubbles pretty and they are good to go. They sit in there until they are pruney and happy and their mom is less frazzled than she was a mere 30 minutes earlier.
Which is why my kids may be accused of being unruly or undisciplined or uncontrollable, but they will never be accused of being unclean. Because sometimes, just sometimes, they even get two baths a day.
Hey, whatever it takes to make everyone happy, right?
That is what is working for me this week. Head over to Rocks in My Dryer to see what is working for other moms!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
this is so why i bathe my girls (4 and 18 mos) during the day and not in the hectic evening hours. i want that peace!
great minds think alike!
I LOVE bath time too now that my daughter is 4. I often sit and read a book and just have peace for a few minutes!
I am so with you on this one! I have a friend that has commented that she cannot imagine bathing her kids as much as I do. Her method is a quick in and out. I love just letting them play and relaxing. Of course, I have also been known to spend that time cleaning the other parts of bathroom- toliets, sinks, etc.
Great WFMW!
What a great idea! I look forward to the day when I can get in on this one... My daughter is 9 months old, so - it'll be a while...
Thanks for sharing!
My MIL always says, "Stick a fussy baby in the bathtub and you can both relax for a while."
That always worked for me, too!
Your girls are adorable, even with stinky, inky hands!
I have an 18 month old, so I have to be right there with her, but I need to remember to bring a book in with me. Otherwise, it's gets a little boring...
I love bath time at my house too!! Ahhhhhhh the peace!
Me too! I have been known to let some water run out and "reheat" it so that bathtime can last even longer : )
Yesss! I love bath time, too! I thought I was the only one who gave multiple baths to the same child. . . and reheated the water...lol!
You had me at, "sometimes they get two baths a day..."
That is a great way to get some peace...
Post a Comment