Lessons From a Mom in the Shower

I heard that the new iPhone 7 will be waterproof.  So you can take selfies in the shower???? WTH? 

No, people, it’s for mommies to “take a shower” but get to sneak in some Netflix for a few minutes! Quiet. Alone.  Or partially alone, depending on the ages of your children.

In the early days of being a First Time Mom, I absolutely treasured the shower.  My firstborn did not read Babywise and therefore knew nothing about a feeding schedule or sleeping long.  He never took long naps. Like ever.  Except if he was with Grandma.  My respite was The Shower upstairs in our Manhattan Beach apartment.  It was sacred.

When your babies are young, you cannot hear crying in the shower. It’s golden.  Even if you steal away for just 5 minutes, it’s a mini-break.  You won’t die, and neither will they.  So take that 5 minutes for yourself and your sanity—especially if you have a spirited newborn or toddler. (Place toddler in crib or portable crib they cannot climb out of. Natch.)

I always managed to get a shower in, almost each day. It was my sense of accomplishment.  Sometimes.  The biggest sense of accomplishment was just loving and snuggling and caring for my littles when they were little.  Although I didn’t always remember that.

As they get older, the darlings just follow you everywhere. Everywhere.

You sit on the toilet. They come.  You get in the shower, they come.

In fact, whether they are young or older, when mama steps inside the shower-that-used-to-be-sacred, its like a HUGE alarm goes off and they all come running into the bathroom. Needing something. Fighting.  Crying. Requesting. “Moooooommmmmm!”

Just as you get the water temperature just right, and you step in ready for refreshment and cleansing and praying and solving all your internal problems—BAM! In walks a kid.

Now the shower is a teaching moment for our family (if you live in California).  Because of the Dreaded Drought, we teach, cajole, ok sometimes yell, at our kiddos to TURN OFF the water in between washing, conditioning, scrubbing, and rinsing.  “5 minute showers for everyone!! We will be timing you! We must preserve, or we will run out of water before you go to college!”

What can you and I glean from this? 

1. Respite is ok.  Take a mommy-break.
2. Whether it’s the shower each day or caring for your littles, or some other THING, it’s ok to want a sense of accomplishment in the momlife.
3. Your kids will always need you and want you. It’s a sweetness and a privilege to be the mommy. Embrace it.
4. Find a teaching moment whenever possible. Some of it is bound to stick.