So a few months ago, I realized that I hadn’t taken a single shower with my 3yo in his short life. For awhile there, he was too young. I didn’t have the coordination to hold him and effectively clean myself. And I don’t regularly shower for reasons other than getting clean. So showering with a kid who isn’t standing on his own or stable enough on his feet to be safe in the shower standing, just wasn’t an option. Once he got old enough, I just didn’t really think about it.
So it dawned on me a few months ago, “Holy crap, I’ve never showered with my 3yo.” Showering with a parent is a right of passage. It’s fun for them, but it also helps pave the way of not being scared of showers. Mind you, he has showered with his dad, but never with me. And the thing is, he is quickly approaching the age where showering with his momma will be inappropriate. (There is no set age on this. There will just come a day where one of us will be uncomfortable with him seeing me naked, and then I will become more modest around him.)
So one day when I needed a shower but wasn’t in a hurry, I invited him in with me.
Daddy, before Luke and I went up, gave Luke the strict instructions that he was at one point to poke my belly. This is important to note for later.
That one shower quickly turned into me taking most my showers with him.
There are many reasons for this:
- The song and dance he does through almost every shower is brilliantly hysterical.
- “Momma, can I poke your belly?” “Yes” *poke* “Can I do it again?” “Yes, baby.” *poke* “Ok, now you poke mine!” “Ok, baby” *poke* For a good 5 minutes. Every shower.
- I hate giving him baths. Mostly because he wants to be in there forever but won’t let me actually apply soap to his body (he hates the rinsing part.). I also simply don’t have the patience to sit in the bathroom for an hour. The toilet isn’t comfortable for me to sit on while I wait/read/game on my phone. And he usually makes a mess. But in the shower I’m not killing time, I’m getting myself clean. AND he lets me get him clean.
- While his dad hates showering with him because he can’t accomplish as much, I actually get twice as much done. Mostly because I’m done about 5 minutes before Luke is willing and ready to get out, so I have to make up body parts to wash. So yeah, I guess despite what I said in #3, I am actually killing time. But it’s different.
- I’ve actually discovered the 3 birds, one stone approach. Luke and I get in to start. I clean me, I clean him. I get out. I put my robe on. I call in Thomas and tell him to strip. I send him into the shower with Luke and hang out for a few minutes while Thomas gets clean. I coax Luke out. I let Thomas have some alone time.
- So my 3yo has discovered peeing in the shower. I’m not against it, most people do it whether they admit it or not. At first I tried to delay this new trick because well, chances are he’d aim for my foot. Sure enough, while I’m not sure who taught him the trick, the recent trick of peeing in the shower, has my foot as the target. Tonigth, when Thomas and I switched, T had only been there for about 15 seconds when a delighted Luke exclaimed “I peed on your foot!” So I piped up with, “Oh yeah! BTW Thomas he likes to pee on people’s feet.” “Thanks.” Heh. Good thing this goes on in a shower where there is soap and water handy.
- For the first couple of months, while he was willing to shower with me, it was a semi-battle to get him under the water. He’d do it but he wasn’t happy about it. Then out of the blue, he started asking to be under the water. Within days that escalated to us fighting over who got to be under the water. We really could use a second shower head on the other side, at this point.
- I haven’t given my 3yo a bath in probably 3 months. But he’s getting cleaned twice as often and we are both enjoying it 10 times more.
Really, I’m to the point where I don’t even like showers without the 3yo anymore. It’s just so much more fun when he’s in there with me!
*poke*