Bathtime Again??

Is there such a thing as being too clean? My children LOVE to take baths. Not just baths, but bubble baths, showers, runs through the sprinklers. They are amphibious. They love to be wet. You may be thinking this is not such a bad thing. However, my kids have been known to take two or three baths a day, which my husband thinks is ridiculous and a colossal waste of water. I usually relent and just let them take one when they want to take one. After all, to them, it's not just about being clean. It's about playing with toys and being wet and playing with toys and maybe cleaning behind their ears and playing with toys. In other words, it's a complete kid experience. And they do come out happy and smelling good. Anyway, the other day, Emily had the mother-of-all-fits because I would not let her take a shower right after jumping out of the bathtub. She screamed and cried and would not let me dress her, but I stuck to my guns. I mean, for goodness sake, she had just taken a bath. Anyway, she protested for a very long time as I went about my daily list of things I had to do. At some point I realized that she was no longer crying...and it was eerily quiet in the house. I started to look for my precious 2-year-old only to find her fully dressed, soaking wet, IN THE SHOWER! She was standing there shivering because she couldn't figure out to make the hot water come out. Sweet little wonderbug KNEW not to call for Mother's help, so she was just standing there in the cold shower in all her clothes. By the time I got to her, she was ready to get out. Anyway, I think she learned her lesson and so did I. There is no such thing as too many baths!

These 2's Shall Pass

My mother, a woman of great wisdom and integrity, has a phrase she repeats to me when my life seems to be spinning out of control. "This too shall pass," she always says. Oh, how I have to remember that with my 2-year-old daughter, Emily. She is an adorable little girl, but she can be a real pistol. Because there are six years between our two children, often Emily thinks that she is as big as her older brother Bailey. Everywhere he goes, there she is right behind him. A few days ago, we attended Bailey's End of the Year Party for school at a place that has a bunch of those huge inflatable play zones. All the children in his small class scattered and began climbing and sliding and jumping. I was chatting it up with the other parents when I suddenly realized that I could not see Emily. I quickly excused myself and began looking around for her only to find her at the very top of the biggest inflatable slide in the place...with a huge smile on her face like she had accomplished something...and rightfully so. I did not think for one minute that she could climb all the way to the top of that thing. And the big question running through my mind was, "How am I going to get her down?" Before I even finished my thought, she threw her leg over the top, then finished climbing over with the other leg and quick as a flash she was sliding down that slide all by herself. I have to mention that the slide was about 12-15 feet high. It was huge! I cannot the describe the sheer panic I experienced in those few short seconds and the rush of relief that followed. She stood up and ran into my arms giggling, then pushed herself away and down and began to run toward the entrance so she could do it again! By this time, the "safety moniter" spotted her, and came bounding onto the apparatus right behind her, followed her up and slid down with her. I don't even know if he saw her do it all by herself the first time. Anyway, I share that story to make this point. Time passes all too quickly in this life. It seems like just yesterday I gave birth this child and now, suddenly, she's daring to climb to the top of a huge slide, jump from the side of the pool and rollerskate down the driveway. Where did the last two years go? And really, for that matter, where did the last eight years go? Or the last twenty? I am learning, through motherhood, to relish each moment...even the moments of panic and relief...because, as my wise mother has repeatedly said, "this too shall pass." And it will probably pass quicker than you'd like it to. People tell you when you are young how quickly it goes by, but you don't start to believe it until a lot of yours has gone.