March 29, 2005
The Simple Things
A beauty of having little boys is that they can turn even the most mundane of activities into an adventure. This can also be viewed as a challenge, or a danger, or a price of having little boys, depending on your mood and current level of sleeplessness. Take washing hands, for example. You'd think it's a simple task: rinse, lather, scrub, rinse, dry.
You'd think.
Each of my two oldest boys has developed his own little routine. Caleb first turns on the cold water -- just the cold -- full blast. Then he rolls his sleeves up to his shoulders, more or less, because the little fussbudget doesn't like the wetness on his clothes. Apparently they are made of the same material as the Wicked Witch of the West; I know this because he does essentially the same woeful "I'm melting" routine when he spills juice on himself.
Since he's usually in front of a mirror when washing his hands, Caleb views it as a good opportunity to try out some new experimental monster faces, or maybe just have a discussion with himself. You have to remind him to finish, or he'll just keep washing and talking. I have no comment about which side of the family he gets this from.
Eli needs coaching, or he'll revert to either the wiggly-finger wash if he's in a hurry, or the full-on surgeon's scrub-to-the-elbow routine if he's of a mind to be diligent. No matter which he chooses, however, it's always the case that the surface area he actually hits while rinsing will be roughly 50 percent of that covered while scrubbing. It makes me itchy just thinking about it.
Then there's the shake and dry. Both boys have this flippy-flappy thing they do with their hands which is designed to distribute water over a maximum amount of counter and mirror space. Then they get down from the sink, taking care to put their newly-rinsed hands squarely in the little puddle of liquid soap they managed to drip on the edge. (I don't worry about this so much, it keeps them regular.) Finally, they step over to the towel and wave their hands around it while thinking dry thoughts. I've never seen anything like it -- these boys can worry a towel half to death so that it's wound up and wrinkled and hanging by the thinnest of margins, yet leave the bathroom with hands dripping wet. They're like those kung-fu masters who can hit you twenty times without leaving a bruise.
I've actually gone into a bathroom with them in good spirits and a relatively high amount of energy, and left grumpy and needing a nap. But I'd like to see everything the way they see it, as an opportunity to be joyful. Some days I think they're going to kill me, but I can't think of a better way to go.
Posted by Woodlief on March 29, 2005 at 07:14 AM
They are adorable.
Indeed, a wonderful way to go.
Keep sharing, please.
Posted by: Christina at March 29, 2005 9:37 AM
Sounds familiar- my boy is only 6 months old, so his rambunctiousness comes out in different ways, but it's that same boyishness. I have rheumatoid arthritis, and am going through a bad spell right now, which can make my very strong infant very hard to handle. God made him so beautiful, you just can't help but love him, though. I'm sure you know what I mean :)
Posted by: Lenise at March 29, 2005 11:27 AM
See, I can pinpoint your problem right off. You actually go INTO the bathroom with them!
I just send them in, and inspect them when they come out. Sure, it can take them twenty minutes (which they seem to enjoy immensely) and mine use one clean towel to dry each arm, plus another one for the face. Yep, twenty minutes of water and three towels later, they're vaguely cleaner. And since I was in another room, I'm still vaguely calm and serene!
Posted by: Lucy at March 29, 2005 1:25 PM
This all sounds very familiar. Especially now that my middle child is potty training and very diligent about hand cleaning, but not very good at it, our powder room usually looks like a very small war zone.
Posted by: Jordana at March 29, 2005 10:52 PM
Hey, at least they are washing their hands.
We left for our local pizza joint tonight and dad had the foresight to get our daughter and two sons to go the bathroom before we left (to avoid the whole hot food arrives/I have to go potty routine). We sit down and notice that all three of them have dirty hands. Mind you, these are six of the most muddy, -- it's spring and I want to play in the dirt-- hands you've ever seen. So not only did they not wash their hands, they skipped it after a bathroom break. YUK.
How many times do we have to give that lecture?
Posted by: Susan at March 30, 2005 12:04 AM
Hey, at least they are washing their hands.
We left for our local pizza joint tonight and dad had the foresight to get our daughter and two sons to go the bathroom before we left (to avoid the whole hot food arrives/I have to go potty routine). We sit down and notice that all three of them have dirty hands. Mind you, these are six of the most muddy, -- it's spring and I want to play in the dirt-- hands you've ever seen. So not only did they not wash their hands, they skipped it after a bathroom break. YUK.
How many times do we have to give that lecture?
Posted by: Susan at March 30, 2005 12:04 AM
Great post! It reminds me of the time I saw a little girl singing Happy Birthday at the sink as she washed her hands in a restaraunt. "Is it your birthday?" I asked. "No. My mom told me I had to sing Happy Birthday when I use the soap and then Happy Birthday when I rinse." Makes sense to me and now I can not wash my hands without singing to myself... just to make sure I am doing it long enough!
Posted by: S'mee at April 2, 2005 2:06 AM
Isn't it odd how the real-life stories of children are often the most hilarious? Of course, there are kids who don't know anything about gravity and, because they're short, their arms rise to reach the tap and the water comes streaming down their arms and into whatever shirt they're wearing. And they're blissfully unaware until puddles form beneath their feet.
Posted by: Safiyyah at April 3, 2005 12:03 AM
I really enjoy this BLOG. Very much. Thanks for your thoughts!
My three-year-old daughter has just mastered the art of hand washing. She's a cold water type herself, but sometimes, just to shake things up, she turns on the hot water instead, looks to be sure I'm not watching, and sticks her little finger in the flow. Then ...
"Maaaaama! I buwned my wittle hawnd!"
Poor baby.
I'm thinking she's just attentioned starved, as she has a hell-on-wheels one-year-old brother who takes most of my attention while in the bathroom as he unravels the toilet paper roll, overturns the potty chair, piles all his sister's hair ties in the diaper pail, and manages to knock his fuzzy blonde head on the bathtub forty-five times.
I love being a mother. :)
Posted by: Dawn at May 11, 2005 2:31 PM
