Okay, when you think of peer pressure, what comes to mind? Drugs, alcohol, skipping school, refusing to take baths? What, that last one wasn’t on your list? Well, you better add it. It caused quite the commotion here last night.
Caitlyn has this very nice friend from the neighborhood. She is a few years older, but I really like her. She is a good influence and joy to be around. At least I thought so until yesterday…
About a month ago, she told Caitlyn that when you take a bath you are sitting in your own dirt. Guess who refuses to take anything but showers now? You got it, Caitlyn.
And normally I don’t care. I’ll tell you, for your daily dose of TMI, I am a shower girl. I started taking them when I was younger than Caitlyn. I grew up in a house built in 1900. They weren’t big on indoor plumbing at that time, so my dad had to add that when he bought it. Thankfully they were big on large closets. Apparently in 1900 you could pee outside but your clothes must have lots of space in the closet.
Anyway, back to the bathroom. There were big closets, so he made one into a bathroom, but it just had a shower stall. He also put a tub in at one point but there were always issues with it, so it rarely worked. My dad agreed with Caitlyn’s friend, he always said baths were disgusting because you were sitting in your own filth. All this equaled me becoming a shower girl.
Like I said, I don’t normally care that Caitlyn is following in my footsteps. But yesterday we tie dyed shirts. I had gloves for the girls, but as you might imagine, dye managed to get other places, so last night I wanted the girls to marinate in the tub for awhile.
Caitlyn was truly distraught. She just stood there until I forced her to sit down. And then she cried the entire time. She escaped as soon as she could. Still crying. When I went into her room to check on her, all of her hair was bone dry.
“Um, did you wash your hair honey?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
(cue more tears and sobs)
“I didn’t know I was supposed to wash my hair.”
(cue me shaking my head)
“Caitlyn, how long have you been taking baths and showers? Don’t we ALWAYS wash our hair?”
More crying.
“Why are you crying?”
“Because I didn’t know I was supposed to wash my hair.”
At this, I had to walk out so I didn’t laugh in her face. I’m laughing just typing it…
My dad would love this!!!!! He would laugh and laugh and laugh. I can hear his deep rolling laugh. Hearing his laugh in my heart makes me laugh and smile even harder. It makes the craziness of the bathtub peer pressure easy to bear.
But be warned moms and dads…that bathtub peer pressure is lurking around every corner…just wait until it hits your home!!!
Here’s hoping the finished product, to be unveiled in half an hour, turns out well enough to be worth last nights’ hullabaloo!
