Showers

We have lived in our house for almost five years and although the boys have their own bathroom, they have preferred to shower in ours.  This summer, Science Girl decided this practice had gone on long enough, she didn't want to share the bathroom with them anymore and insisted that they do their ablutions in their own bathroom.  This decree was met with shock, resistance and the five stages of grief.  First, the boys were in complete denial.  "Us?"  "Not us!"  Then they were angry.  "Why do we have to leave the Master bathroom?"  "Why is it that the parents automatically get it?"  They bellowed that it wasn't fair.  Science Girl stayed firm.

They calmed down and attempted to negotiate.  Secret Service graciously agreed to shower in his own bathroom if we installed a special shower head and replaced the (like new) shower curtain with a glass door.   Sport amiably agreed to stay out of our bathroom as long as we accepted swimming as a substitute for showering and didn't make him shower until Autumn.  When these efforts weren't successful, the boys fell into a depression, both too sad and dejected to shower.  Science Girl and I had to cajole and threaten to get them into the shower.  Several times during this phase, Secret pretended to shower.  Luckily, he always had a "tell," typically emerging from a shampoo with his hair dry.  Sport actually entered the shower and stood under the running water.  The problem was that it was to about the count of 10 - Mississippi.  Sport developed a speedy shower routine that we believe consists of one hand rubbing a minuscule drop of shampoo through his hair while the other hand simultaneously swipes a bar of soap over his genitals while simultaneously rinsing and climbing out.

Tonight, brought me hope that we are moving into the acceptance phase.  After being told fifteen times to get into the shower, Secret did and his hair was damp upon completion.   And, Sport stayed in the water to the count of 25 - Mississippi.