Before I had a baby, one of the things I heard other moms complain about was the fact they hadn’t had a shower in days. DAYS, they’d tell me. I never understood this. How could they not find five minutes in the day to hose themselves off? I swore to myself that I would not become one of those women.
And then I had a baby.
I’ve been very fortunate in that my husband has been home with us most days so I have had the chance to have at least a quick, cursory shower every day since we came home with the baby. On the days he hasn’t been home, I’ve either jumped into the shower before he left, or brought the baby into the bathroom with me. I sit him in his bouncy seat right there on the floor next to the shower and feel like I am the most masterful parent on the planet. Look at me! Mothering and showering at the same damn time.
My love for the bathroom has grown exponentially since we had Nate, and not just because I’ve spent countless hours in there with my little squirty peri-care bottle. I’ve come to view the bathroom as a spa-like place in our house. On the days that I get to have a shower without the baby babbling away outside the shower curtain, I luxuriate not just in the hot water but in the fact that I have those ten or fifteen precious minutes to myself. Once I even shaved my legs.
I have to admit, though, that I’ve taken advantage of being behind that closed bathroom door on more than one occasion. While the shower has been running, I’ve had my iPod in the bathroom with me, checked Twitter, popped in on some blogs, read the newspaper, sent a text message, listened to music, drank my coffee…there’s really no limit to what can be accomplished in one’s bathroom, all in the name of so-called “good hygiene.”
Now if I could just find a place in the bathroom to secretly stash my sleeping bag and pillow, I’ll really be in business.
- Recovering Do-It-All Mommy
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: motherbumper
January 19, 2010 at 8:35 am
You got to shave your legs before his first birthday!? I’m pleased that you learned getting things done in the name of ‘good hygiene’ so quickly. Cherish those moments before Nate becomes mobile enough to be also knocking on the door next to the husband.
Twitter: tenakim
January 19, 2010 at 9:49 am
that’s sweet, but I hope Graham isn’t reading… never give away your secrets.
Twitter: mariamelee
January 19, 2010 at 10:07 am
This is SO TRUE. To this day, bathroom time is SACRED GET AWAY FROM THE DOOR AND STOP BANGING YOUR CAR ON THE FLOOR RIGHT THERE time.
Twitter: ladyjess78
January 19, 2010 at 10:45 am
Ah, yes. The bouncy seat days. I remember that feeling, too. Why hasn’t any other parent thought of this?!? Then, one day, sad to say, they outgrow the bouncy seat and grow into. Well, nothing for a while. That’s when it gets tricky. Oh and wait until he’s mobile. In the meantime, good job with the iphone. I hide a book in the bathroom at all times.
Twitter: mommabird2345
January 19, 2010 at 10:47 am
Enjoy it while it lasts. Now that my kids are older, I can’t even go to the bathroom to pee without at least one of them coming to the door to talk to me, ask me a question, or just to see what I’m doing. I need to find a better hiding place……
This is so true. I remember days with him in the bouncy next to the shower. He would start to fuss and I would stick a wet toe out and bounce him. Thankfully we have those clear shower doors because I spent most of my time making silly faces at him so I could get a shower! If the husband was home, there were days when I would just sit down in the shower under the hot water until I was completely relaxed. Wait until he’s crawling…it’s near impossible!
Twitter: Mirapelo
January 19, 2010 at 11:19 am
Ahh the good old days of the bouncy seat. Boy I miss those days. Now Josh (he’s 4) just wants to stand on the toilet and talk while I shower, or get in with me. :| Never could keep him out of the bathroom when I’m in there… good luck!
~Miranda
Good for you! Those precious minutes are so very important to the maintenance of your sanity. And enjoy it while you can. Before you know it, there will always be an audience present while you’re in the bathroom – no matter what you’re doing. But that ends, too, because eventually they realize that they want privacy and to get it, they have to give it.
My ability to shower in under 5 min was perfected after baby #1 arrived. She was a screamer so there was little to no enjoyment while I was showering.
Baby #2 was more accomodating so my showers were almost 10 whole minutes most days :)
Now I have a 3.5yo and an 18mo who won’t give me ANY peace…I cannot wait for the day when the bathrooms have locking doorknobs on them (we are under renovation and the bathrooms are either missing a door or a doorknob) I love the fact I can pee in peace at work ;)
I dream of a bouncy seat. I was like you and didn’t get not showering until after I had my third (and frankly, my older two got older). Now it takes such strategic planning to get a shower in without risking harm to my house or my kid while I’m in there that it almost makes me too tired to actually shower!
I fully plan to put a baby gate in our hallway, not to keep the asshole baby in, but to keep him out, once he is mobile that is. I need that quiet bathroom time.
Figured this out with my SECOND kid. Then with the 3rd and 4th, figured chuck them in the cot and let them cry, I’m gonna have a shower. No kid ever died from crying. Yet.
As a single mom, there certainly are days when a shower doesn’t even make it to the top 5 of my to-do list. In the beginning I followed the “sleep when baby sleeps” rule, so I used his frequent cat naps as my own nap time. Now that Nate is 4 months old, he’s awake more and refuses to nap. Oh well, who needs showers anyway? Isn’t that why Bath & Body makes those lovely body splashes?
Ahhh, enjoy it. Because you know what you have a’comin your way once Nate is mobile? And talking?
You are going to get treated to the awesomeness that is: I Barge in on Mommy Every Time She Showers and Her Body is an Open Canvas for Commentary.
Personally, I have two particularly ego-boosting specimens:
7 year old: “Hey Mama, if your boobies get any bigger, we can play boxing on them.”
3 year old (pointing at my nether region): “Harryboy!!!!!” Harryboy is our cat.
And, curtains.
Wow, I sure remember those day. Thank goodness they quickly pass!
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