ok, what the hell is the deal with kids not wanting to bathe? my kids LOVED baths when they were toddlers. loved them. now, at 11 and 8 it seems they have an aversion to being clean. wtf?
they have progressed to the point where they can bathe themselves and they usually take showers at night. we did go through a month or so when the hubs had to school the boy on what taking a bath meant. i.e. it didn't mean you were clean if you just SAT in a tub full of water. you actually had to use soap and a washcloth and shampoo. and wash ALL of your body, not just your arms and legs. i still sometimes ask him specifically if he used soap.
however, every single time i tell them, it's time for baths they start fussing.
"i went first last time."
like going first means the water will disintegrate you?
and the girl--hello, she's 11 and so very concerned about not being a "kid" but rather being a teenager and she's growing boobs, etc. but hell, she doesn't want to bathe?
tonight she said, but i just had a bath last night? uh, yes, and you've been outside most of the day playing and jumping on the trampoline and you need a bath! sheesh.
then there's the whole going out in public thing. granted, i'm a slackass mom. i do not inspect my kids every time we walk out the door and apparently i don't pay attention very well because invariably we'll get out of the car at the grocery store or library or target and i glance at the heathens and it looks like they've not washed their faces for a month. how does that happen? i used to do the nasty thing most every mother has done, yes, you know it, the lick your finger or tissue and wipe them off. yes, i still carry wipes in the car but sometimes we're out. now when i catch the girl looking like liza doolittle in pygmalion before henry higgins got a hold of her and i go to spruce her up she licks her arm and starts bathing herself like a cat!
oh, and that nifty clothes hamper we put in their bathroom? useless. their dirty clothes still end up on the bathroom floor. oy vey.
3 comments:
Oh goody. This is what I can look forward to? thanks. :)
I am a crazy woman when we go out. I can't stand my kids looking like the kids from Oliver. Because they wouldn't care one lick how they look. sigh.
Every time mine eats Cheetos or strawberries we end up going out and I look at him and his face and hands are tinted the color of the food. I can understand not knowing something was on your face, but your hands? Come on. Now I tell him to wash up whenever I hand him the food. I also appreciate your advice on the washing instructions! I seemed to be ahead of the game because I knew which questions to ask in advance.
SIL
K--sadly i think i EXPECTED mine to be old enough to care how they looked, but they don't.
SIL--mine don't see it on their hands or faces. i'm raising street urchins. the nephew always looks clean : ) btw--we need a nickname for him : )
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