Tuesday, February 13, 2007

To Toe the Line

Try as I might, I can’t figure out what people do in the shower for 20, 30, 45 minutes. How long does it take to wash body parts? Now, I know that especially in the winter, a hot shower is soothing and comforting, but there’s only so much soothe and comfort that can be had from a spray of warm (or hot) water. Beyond that, it becomes something to be endured, not savored.
We’re having “issues” with long showers here at the home. I understand that girls maybe might need to be in there a couple minutes longer, due to hair, etc., but I can’t fathom the necessity of a 30 minute trip under the falls, so to speak.
So we’ve made yet another rule (sigh). I know where the hot water cut-off valve is in the basement and will not hesitate to use it when I deem it to be appropriate. I can just imagine the cries of the first one upon whom I impose the “That’s all, folks!” rule. Actually, in a possibly somewhat perverse way I’m looking forward to doing it, because it usually only takes one or two times…then they all get it and toe the line. It’s kind of interesting to see that process take place.
Now, if we can just get parents and caregivers on board and “toe the line” early on in the lives of their children, so I won’t even need to be here….

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, the same thing goes on in our house, and while we've done our share of nagging about it, we haven't made any hard and fast rules (yet). Part of it is, my kids tend to (as we say) "zone out" once they get in there. What freedom! What bliss! It's the one place in our teeny tiny house where they can truly be alone. No sibling "pestering" you, no parents nagging you, no homework to be done, nothing but you and the warm water. So while I too wonder (out loud, even) what could possibly be taking so long, for now we let tend to let it go.

Wild Flower said...

I too, have experienced this in my own house. When all 5 of us lived here, we could not all take showers in the morning, we didn't have enough hot water. So if you didn't get up at dark-thirty, you froze in the middle. Our rule was, parents come first for showering. Then kids. It backfired, however, when Dan decided he liked evening showers. AND morning showers. So for his whole last year of high school he took TWO a day. I'm telling ya, I have converted to an evening shower person. THere's nothing I like better than hopping in a hot shower after dinner or even before, washing all that school grime off, and then putting on the flannels at 7:00! It's great!

Anonymous said...

Well, CoolSchool, when I was a working person, I'd sorta do the same. I'd bend over the tub faucet in the morning to wash just my hair before work, and then take a full-fledged shower when I got home to get the day's grime off. Now that I am a woman of leisure, I just do it all in the morning. Hubby used to be a two-shower-a-day person until we had kids . . .