Bath Time (21/31)

photo  ©2007  Kitty Schweizer, Flickr

Oh My Goodness, my boys are so entertaining. 

When my oldest son was little, he would throw a fit in the bath tub whenever any kind of water got near his eyes. Washing hair was a delicate process. With surgeon-like touch, I would carefully wet his hair and keep a dry wash cloth close by. The second any water would escape near his eyebrows, I would have to dry it off or there would be a complete meltdown. I became an expert as washing hair without letting any runaway droplets escape. Now he takes a shower but still wipes the water out of his eyes immediately. It is progress. 

I shouldn't have been surprised when my youngest son picked up on these same habits. He is now 5 and still cringes when it's time to wash his hair. He arches is back in a reverse cat position so he gets the top part of his head wet without getting the hairline wet. I am then expected to soap up his hair without any shampoo touching his skin. It is a delicate process. I may need to try the game Operation again. I am pretty good at staying without a set parameter. 

Tonight, he barely filled the tub up to touch his ears when he laid back in the tub. He began to arch his back and I started to giggle. 

"Why are you laughing at me? You know I hate to get water in my face.", said my indignant son. 

"Yes sweetheart, but you barely have any water in the tub. Why don't you try to lay down and see where the water hits."

With some hesitation, he laid back in the tub and saw that it wasn't deep. He allowed me to get his hair wet and then carefully sat up. 

I masterfully soaped up his little locks and asked him to lay down again. Again, the arched back appeared. I shook my head and made a board shape with my hand. 

"Be brave J, be brave!" He began to repeat over and over again. 

I held my breathe, quickly rinsed his hair and made a bee line for the other room. A belly laugh escaped my lips the moment the door touched the frame.

I am constantly entertained and surprised by my children. I couldn't have imagined my life any other way. This memory will linger until the next bath time where another story is bound to emerge.