Nope. We aren’t remodeling a shower here. (I’d love to btw.)
I was just reading some of Smockity Frocks “best of” posts and came across one about “the interrupted shower.” Couldn’t be truer than if it was written in stone! And I just have one child… sigh.
I don’t know what it is exactly about being a mother but once you become one, you typically find that the only place that you will achieve alone time is the bathroom. Even that is iffy though.
The bathroom can potentially be one of the last places you will have a relaxing moment to yourself.
Bear with me here, this won’t be disgusting or embarrassing.
The bathroom, as a mother, is a conundrum. Well, it is at my house anyway. You have some options with bathroom time. But choose wisely, because one wrong move and you’ve thrown your free time right out the window.
I desperately try to get there every day for that 10-20 minutes of alone time to shower and just think – in quietude. Nevermind the ridiculous amount of toys that are still lying in wait to attack my feet as I step in or the fact that the tub doesn’t quite drain fully and there is a sudsy film waiting to send you flying back on heels when you turn the water on. Just nevermind those setbacks – all you can think about is that alone time of peace and quiet! It’s so motivating!
Once there however,do you notice that in your quietude, your mind wanders and Mom instincts kick in? You notice muffled noises from outside the door. “She’s crying,” you think. But the thought only persists until you have derationalized the entire scenario only to find yourself stressing out - “Is everything ok out there? Could she be choking? OH GOSH, old milk is in the crib…yuck, she’s probably choking on it!! I hear muffled crying, is it because her leg is stuck in the crib slat? She’s in pain. No,no, she’s probably throwing up again!”
I’m not sure if I want to tell you that those are real thoughts I’ve had in the shower or not? Hmm….
This exactly what Connie at Smockity Frocks is talking about in her post. I just giggled the entire time reading her rendition because it’s just so true!
For me, as soon as these scary possibilities start stewing in my brain, all hope at a refreshing shower is lost. That’s when I rush my 10-20 minutes of free time into about 3-5 minutes and sloppily run myself out of the bathroom only to find her jumping up and down happily in the crib .
First response:
“WHAT!? What is this a PLOY!? Why did you….Come on now!”
Why is it that I tell myself I’ll let her cry while I get my shower, but then I find that I would be happier to have left the door open to hear the clear screams of protest so I could rest assured that she isn’t choking/falling/banging skull/finding scissors, stapler, stray pins/cutting up?
Of course to leave the door open and leave the little out of a locked area (crib, playpen, etc.) means to invite the little to come in and play in the bathroom. This usually means repeatedly ripping the shower curtain back to figure out what Mom is doing in the shower. No privacy. Never.
It also means repeated attempts to play in the water and basically take a shower from the outside of the tub. This option could be just as stressful as the lock-out option.
The same goes for potty use. You tell yourself you will just lock the door and take a minute, use the potty, brush your teeth, wash your face, possibly do something with your bedhead hair…
But without fail, you get an inevitable, “MOM? MOMMA?” from the outside followed by incessant whining, or if you’ve got older ones, the banging and the questions begin no sooner than you have shut and locked the door.
Total conundrum.
Experienced this?