Bath Time

I handle the nighttime routine in the house. For the last couple years, it has been Dad washing two boys. Said boys splashing in the tub, splashing, having a good old time, while Dad struggles to wash and dry them while keeping at least half the water in the tub, before dressing Joey and Andy.

Lately, there have been a lot of complaints- about the water (too hot, too cold, sometimes simultaneously), the drying ("I don't like that, that hurts"), and the dressing ("I don't want to", meaning they want to either be naked or wear their day clothes).

Enough, I said. So, with only one night's notice, the boys are now responsible for actually undressing, bathing, drying, and dressing. Are you cringing yet?

Joey was my first victim. I explain what he's going to do, and he begins stripping down. He gets into the tub as asked and turns the water on. Then he looks at me. This is where I usually step in and do it all. I say 'Is the water the right temperature?' It isn't, so I explain how to adjust the temperature, which he then does. 'Are you ready to wash your hair?', I ask. He is, so I explain how to get the sprayer turned on (shower head attachment).  I talk him through wetting his hair, hand him the shampoo bottle, and talk him through the rest of the process. No fingers were lifted in the washing of this child. He decided when he was done- about five minutes later, got out, and I handed him the towel and told him to pick out his pajamas. He dried himself off, then took his pjs to his room and got dressed.

Joeymom was still working with Andy- something about counting to 10. He was struggling to do it in order, I think just being persnickety. So, having discussed Joey's summer reading list (which has heretofore gone unread) last night with Joeymom, I hunt down an eligible book and hand it to my big boy and have him start reading. It was Strega Nona. He got about a third of the way through tonight.

Andy did very well, too. He needed some help with the spray attachment- the bathroom walls are still dripping, I think. But overall, it was a smashing success. The real trick will be making this last, and then we can move on to brushing teeth, which should be a snap after all this.