Trying to be economical, I vied for the generic bar soap over the shower gel I typically buy. 59¢. What the hell. Why not? The savings equaled at least a cup of coffee.
The width of the bathroom, between counter and wall, is little more than a 3 foot span. At the far end of the bathroom is a shower, which itself is not much wider than 3 feet and is no more than a stall; there is no basin for bathing.
Four of us stood going no where fast.
Lily was the furthest in, then Dana, then Liam, then me. Lil had already stripped down but refused to get into the shower until Liam was in the shower.
"But Lil! We can't get past you. You have to get in so then Liam can get in," I pleaded.
Lil didn't get the logistics of it and refused to budge.
The plan was to get Lil and Liam in the shower. Dana and I believe the angst and frustration is far lower if we tag-team child-wrangling. Dana will take Lil, I'll take Liam.
Dana once said to me, during a bout of sleeplessness and sick kids, "Isn't it nice how we can be single parents together?"
Sometimes the spatial logistics are a concern. Even so, it's easier to do this task together. Two showers in one. Economical in both time and money.
I pushed past Dana to Lil with Liam. I quickly undressed him and placed him in the shower. Lil followed immediately behind.
There wasn't much room to move with all of the toys on the floor of the shower. Liam was playing with the empty bottle of shower gel while Lil washed her little brother's back with the bar of soap.
Dana and I stood back for a minute to let them play.
"Oh! That's nice, Lil! I like how you help Liam," I said.
Dana and I smiled at each other and in the moment we were looking at each other was the same moment Lil dropped the soap on the floor of the shower and reached up with her soapy little hand to rub her eye.
Instant screaming.
"I don't understand! What's wrong, Lil?" I asked. The soap wasn't in her hands any more and I hadn't connected the screaming with the soap yet.
Lil reached up to her eye again. Still screaming.
"It's on her hands! Quick! Grab her hands!" Dana shouted, lunging forward with a towel. He grabbed Lil out of the shower and was trying to comfort her. I was peering over his shoulder and trying to get a peek at Lil's eyes.
When a louder screaming began.
In the moment we had rescued Lil, we let Liam do the same damned thing.
The bar of soap fell with a clunk on the floor of the shower as Liam rubbed his eyes. I ineffectively tried to wash his hands off in the shower water but he kept fighting me off and rubbing his eyes. The more I tried to stop him, the more he got in his eyes.
I didn't have another towel at hand. I just grabbed him out of the shower and wrapped a t-shirt around him while he screamed, soaking my own clothes with his squirmy, wet, little body in the process.
I don't typically buy bar soap. I wasn't even thinking the kids would reach for their eyes after holding the soap.
A few weeks ago, I handed Grandpa Bob his can of aerosol deodorant spray. I told him to put his deodorant on. He proceeded to spray it in his face...
No instruction is too obvious.
The width of the bathroom, between counter and wall, is little more than a 3 foot span. At the far end of the bathroom is a shower, which itself is not much wider than 3 feet and is no more than a stall; there is no basin for bathing.
Four of us stood going no where fast.
Lily was the furthest in, then Dana, then Liam, then me. Lil had already stripped down but refused to get into the shower until Liam was in the shower.
"But Lil! We can't get past you. You have to get in so then Liam can get in," I pleaded.
Lil didn't get the logistics of it and refused to budge.
The plan was to get Lil and Liam in the shower. Dana and I believe the angst and frustration is far lower if we tag-team child-wrangling. Dana will take Lil, I'll take Liam.
Dana once said to me, during a bout of sleeplessness and sick kids, "Isn't it nice how we can be single parents together?"
Sometimes the spatial logistics are a concern. Even so, it's easier to do this task together. Two showers in one. Economical in both time and money.
I pushed past Dana to Lil with Liam. I quickly undressed him and placed him in the shower. Lil followed immediately behind.
There wasn't much room to move with all of the toys on the floor of the shower. Liam was playing with the empty bottle of shower gel while Lil washed her little brother's back with the bar of soap.
Dana and I stood back for a minute to let them play.
"Oh! That's nice, Lil! I like how you help Liam," I said.
Dana and I smiled at each other and in the moment we were looking at each other was the same moment Lil dropped the soap on the floor of the shower and reached up with her soapy little hand to rub her eye.
Instant screaming.
"I don't understand! What's wrong, Lil?" I asked. The soap wasn't in her hands any more and I hadn't connected the screaming with the soap yet.
Lil reached up to her eye again. Still screaming.
"It's on her hands! Quick! Grab her hands!" Dana shouted, lunging forward with a towel. He grabbed Lil out of the shower and was trying to comfort her. I was peering over his shoulder and trying to get a peek at Lil's eyes.
When a louder screaming began.
In the moment we had rescued Lil, we let Liam do the same damned thing.
The bar of soap fell with a clunk on the floor of the shower as Liam rubbed his eyes. I ineffectively tried to wash his hands off in the shower water but he kept fighting me off and rubbing his eyes. The more I tried to stop him, the more he got in his eyes.
I didn't have another towel at hand. I just grabbed him out of the shower and wrapped a t-shirt around him while he screamed, soaking my own clothes with his squirmy, wet, little body in the process.
I don't typically buy bar soap. I wasn't even thinking the kids would reach for their eyes after holding the soap.
A few weeks ago, I handed Grandpa Bob his can of aerosol deodorant spray. I told him to put his deodorant on. He proceeded to spray it in his face...
No instruction is too obvious.