My son is 7 1/2 and has been taking showers on his own for a while now. Recently, he has been taking baths. The last 3 times, he has completely soaked the bathroom. The floor was flooded, the counters were wet, and I just couldn’t imagine what he was doing in there.
He’s really into weather and the ocean, so I always say, “No tsunamis in there.” He knows I mean that he can’t make big waves in the tub that cause the water to spill out.
He’s an honest kid, so I believed him when he said he hadn’t been making tsunamis in the tub after the first time I found the bathroom soaked.
After his next bath, it was the same thing. Water was everywhere. I started thinking he was just walking around the bathroom when he got out and not drying off. I thought of this soft ball that he throws in the tub. I figured that maybe he was throwing it out and getting everything wet. I meant to ask him about it, but I was busy so I dried up the floor and forgot to talk to him.Tonight I finally found out what has been going on in there. He called me in the bathroom because he couldn’t get the shampoo out of the bottle. When I walked in, he was standing in the tub. I didn’t think too much of it. Maybe he was just soaping up. He started talking to me as he was washing his hair. He was still standing. I wondered why he wasn’t sitting, but I didn’t want to interrupt him when he was talking (interrupting is something we’ve been working on lately). Next, I saw him bend over and stick his head in the water. He rinsed all the soap out. Then he flung his hair up into the air, spraying water across the bathroom. After this, he hung his head down, so the rest of the water dripped into his hands, which he had cupped together. When his hands filled up, he threw that water into the air. He did this 3 times in a row. I was holding in my laughter; I couldn’t believe that this is what had been going on in there.
I thought that was the end of the water escapade, but I was wrong. After the whole hair-flinging and water-tossing, he sort of hopped down into the tub and water splashed out. He cleaned off the back of his hair, stood up while soaking wet, and shook his whole body like a dog. Once again, water sprayed all over the bathroom. He did this a few times, too.
I tried to quietly get my husband because it was so hysterical, but he didn’t get there in time. I was keeping my laughter in as best as I could,while trying to explain to my husband what had just gone down in the bathroom.
You might be wondering why I didn’t stop it, and what was going through my head at the time. First off, I finally had an answer to what was going on and I wanted to see it all. I thought it was a hysterical and creative way to wash your hair. He wasn’t intentionally trying to mess up the bathroom and give me more work. He just found a way that worked for him, and it was pretty fun. I don’t think he realized how wet he was making things.
There was another part of me that thought, “Well, I’m glad he’s getting his hair thoroughly cleaned.” Yes, I do plan on talking to him, but I just need to give it a night and enjoy the laughter a little longer.
What’s one of the biggest messes your child has made? How did you handle it?
This is an original post to World Moms Blog by Maggie Ellison of South Carolina, USA.
Photo credit to Google Images, http://landofcourtness.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/bubble-bath.jpg
When my son first got to switch to regular toilet paper (used flushable wipes before that), he was either too proud or too excited. He pulled so much, it has to be almost half roll – the consequence: a clogged toilet, and a bathroom floor with white toilet paper spread all over…
– LearningMom @bnchen.wordpress.com
Oh yes, my little girl is still in that stage! I totally relate!. 😀
When my son first got to switch to regular toilet paper (used flushable wipes before that), he was either too proud or too excited. He pulled so much, it has to be almost half roll – the consequence: a clogged toilet, and a bathroom floor with white toilet paper spread all over…
– LearningMom @bnchen.wordpress.com
Oh yes, my little girl is still in that stage! I totally relate!. 😀
Beautiful! I cant imagine how you must have felt. Such experiences are worth more than a share. It would be great to see such light hearted moments about children from all of us here.
The last I felt so nice was watching Jen’s younger daughter teaching Jen yoga! 🙂 lol!
Thanks!! Yes, it was the lighthearted, childish moment that had my heart smiling. 🙂
Beautiful! I cant imagine how you must have felt. Such experiences are worth more than a share. It would be great to see such light hearted moments about children from all of us here.
The last I felt so nice was watching Jen’s younger daughter teaching Jen yoga! 🙂 lol!
Thanks!! Yes, it was the lighthearted, childish moment that had my heart smiling. 🙂
Love it, how funny!
Thanks!!!
Love it, how funny!
Thanks!!!
My son loves to play in dirt and mud. I thought it would pass but he still does it, even at seven. This spring is going to be a real mess!
Yep, my 2 do, too! They made a lake the other day in the backyard. It’s so fun to be a kid!!
My son loves to play in dirt and mud. I thought it would pass but he still does it, even at seven. This spring is going to be a real mess!
Yep, my 2 do, too! They made a lake the other day in the backyard. It’s so fun to be a kid!!
Just this week I let my 11 mos. old have fun pulling the toilet paper from the roll. I don’t know why I didn’t stop her. Sometimes, I guess, you just have to live freely!
This is hysterical, Maggie!
Jen 🙂
Awww Jen, how fun and sweet!!!
Just this week I let my 11 mos. old have fun pulling the toilet paper from the roll. I don’t know why I didn’t stop her. Sometimes, I guess, you just have to live freely!
This is hysterical, Maggie!
Jen 🙂
Awww Jen, how fun and sweet!!!
Our bathroom is always soaked after bathtime! I hear my 6 year old in there singing, splashing, playing with boats….and it just ends up everywhere. Like you said, it isn’t intentional, and the truth is I don’t press it too much because it’s so nice he can go in and bathe himself from start to finish while I tidy up or play with my toddler. I figure, it’s just some good old h2o 🙂
I agree, Tara!! 🙂 On top of that, my bathroom floor gets a good cleaning! Ha! Ha!
Our bathroom is always soaked after bathtime! I hear my 6 year old in there singing, splashing, playing with boats….and it just ends up everywhere. Like you said, it isn’t intentional, and the truth is I don’t press it too much because it’s so nice he can go in and bathe himself from start to finish while I tidy up or play with my toddler. I figure, it’s just some good old h2o 🙂
I agree, Tara!! 🙂 On top of that, my bathroom floor gets a good cleaning! Ha! Ha!
I pictured this all in my head as I was reading.
How funny! So glad for the mom that you are… You let your kids be kids 🙂 lol
Thank you so much!! I want them to have a great childhood…super important to me! 🙂
I pictured this all in my head as I was reading.
How funny! So glad for the mom that you are… You let your kids be kids 🙂 lol
Thank you so much!! I want them to have a great childhood…super important to me! 🙂
I love how you enjoyed the moment instead of freaking out! These are the moments that make parenting fun! One time I found my two boys in the kitchen with a carton of eggs tossing them across the kitchen “to see what would happen” !!!! I had to laugh(even as I cleaned 15 raw eggs off the floor)!! They were two and three at the time…two years later it still cracks me up!
Oh my goodness!!!! That’s hysterical!! Glad you enjoyed the moment, too! 🙂
I love how you enjoyed the moment instead of freaking out! These are the moments that make parenting fun! One time I found my two boys in the kitchen with a carton of eggs tossing them across the kitchen “to see what would happen” !!!! I had to laugh(even as I cleaned 15 raw eggs off the floor)!! They were two and three at the time…two years later it still cracks me up!
Oh my goodness!!!! That’s hysterical!! Glad you enjoyed the moment, too! 🙂
Clean is what counts…maybe he could swish a towel across the floor and help wipe up the floor, too (thus also cleaning the floor). Et voila! Two chores complete with one bath. Win win.
Adorable. Next time you ought to try to catch him on camera–that’s a video story for the ages.
Exactly! Clean is what counts and oh boy, he was clean! :-D. My floor was, too! Guess it really is a win-win!
Clean is what counts…maybe he could swish a towel across the floor and help wipe up the floor, too (thus also cleaning the floor). Et voila! Two chores complete with one bath. Win win.
Adorable. Next time you ought to try to catch him on camera–that’s a video story for the ages.
Exactly! Clean is what counts and oh boy, he was clean! :-D. My floor was, too! Guess it really is a win-win!
Oh the biggest mess made by my child was only last month. We flew from New York to Colorado, and when we were about half an hour from landing, my daughter threw up…. On her brother! I of course had a change of clothes for her, but not for him. He sat there stoically while I cleaned him off (I think he was trying not to give into that gag reflex and throw up himself). And then when I took him into the bathroom to wash him off he just stood there, as if in shock. He hates to wear anything that was wet, and was such a trooper until we could retrieve our luggage and get him a change of clothes. Something I can smile about now, but certainly was not fun at the time.
Oh my goodness….what a nightmare!! It’s definitely funny looooong after the moment! Wow….picturing it all in my head and am feeling own gag reflux working! Thank goodness you were only a half hour from landing. Yikes!
Oh the biggest mess made by my child was only last month. We flew from New York to Colorado, and when we were about half an hour from landing, my daughter threw up…. On her brother! I of course had a change of clothes for her, but not for him. He sat there stoically while I cleaned him off (I think he was trying not to give into that gag reflex and throw up himself). And then when I took him into the bathroom to wash him off he just stood there, as if in shock. He hates to wear anything that was wet, and was such a trooper until we could retrieve our luggage and get him a change of clothes. Something I can smile about now, but certainly was not fun at the time.
Oh my goodness….what a nightmare!! It’s definitely funny looooong after the moment! Wow….picturing it all in my head and am feeling own gag reflux working! Thank goodness you were only a half hour from landing. Yikes!