Bath Time Battles

Today I was a little distracted while giving Little Sprout her bath. I had decided earlier in the day that all of our pictures and things had to be put up on the walls, since we are having the family over for Little Sprout's birthday this weekend. Besides, I was tired of looking at the stuff piled in the corners.

Where was I? Oh! Bath time, yeah. Anyway...

So I was standing in the doorway of the bathroom while Little Sprout had her playtime in the bath (soaking her little diaper rash in Grandma's Magic Powder), directing Mr. Barefoot as to where to hang which item. Unfortunately, Little Sprout is too old for her bath chair, and since being freed of it's confines has decided that the tub is a great place to stand up and do a stomp~dance. Things really weren't going well for me.

"Little Sprout, sit down. No, a little to the left. Little Sprout, sit down NOW. Up a little....I said SIT DOWN!"

Yeah, it was nuts.

So I got disgusted and went in to pull Little Sprout out of the tub. As I pulled the plug out of the drain, her little pink washcloth went sloop! right past my fingers and out of sight. I couldn't believe it. Of course the water wasn't draining, I had a wet and slippery girl up on the counter wrapped in a towel, and Mr. Barefoot is inquiring as to the source of the very inventive cuss words coming out of the bathroom.

Ugh.

Priorities being what they are, I got Little Sprout dressed and out of the bathroom before spending the next 10 minutes on my hands and knees holding the little doohickey at the bottom of the drain open so the water could drain out of the tub. Mr. Barefoot (the GENIUS) told me he could probably get the washcloth out with a bent hanger, which he did, and life went on as usual.

Oh, and the washcloth was gross after being down in the pipe. Seriously.

Later in the evening I went through the nightly battle to convince Big Sprout to take a shower. Every night I hear the same old "I don't wanna" whiny excuses. But, seriously, the child needs to bathe daily.

I have noticed lately that her hair never really looks clean. This has been troubling me. A LOT. I just couldn't figure it out. I mean, she is obviously using her shampoo. I know she bathes every day. I know she brushes her hair twice a day. I couldn't figure out why it always looked......well, nasty.

When she got out of the shower, she asked for help combing out the snarls. I noticed as I was combing through her hair that the actual hair seemed clean, but her scalp still seemed oily. So I asked her (oh, so nonchalantly) what shampoo she was using.

Me: So, how do you like that shampoo I got you?

Big Sprout: It's okay

Me: You are using the stuff in the clear bottle, right?

Big Sprout: *big sigh* Yes, Mom.

Me: So, can you show me how you shampoo your hair?

Big Sprout mimes scrubbing on the back of her head

Me: But you rub the shampoo on top of your head and up here by your ears, too, don't you?

Big Sprout: I am supposed to wash my hair with it...not my head, Mom!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my daughter has been fastidiously avoiding washing her head with shampoo. After all, shampoo is for hair, not your head. How she could have forgotten the proper way to shampoo your hair after all the years I did it for her and watching me give countless baths to Little Sprout (who has had hair since birth), I have no idea. So I reminded her about how it is done, and will continue to remind her every evening until she can remember on her own. I figure when she is about 30. Or I could always go back to bathing her myself, but since she is almost 10, she really doesn't want anyone to see her nekkid. Heck, she throws a fit if I mention that I can see her underwear. No, I will definitely just remind her and see how that goes. Maybe I should remind her to use soap and get it on her body, too. Goodness only knows what else she is forgetting.

Ugh.