Bucket Brigade

Last night, I was preparing the kids for their bath. Ellie was stuck at work, leaving me to give the bath unassisted. That usually isn’t a problem, it just complicates the process a little. I have to round up everything I need for the pre-bath, bath, and post-bath phases before running any water. I usually do this by grabbing everything I need, stripping down one child, finding the towels I forgot, stripping another child, locating the soap, stripping the third child, and beginning the bath.

I thought I had everything I needed, and deposited three naked children in the tub. I reached for the faucet, and remembered Abbie’s pajamas were still in the dryer. She needs to wear her pajamas immediately after adorning her diaper. Otherwise the diaper is exposed, creating too much temptation for her to play with the straps that go “shrip” when she pulls on them.

I gave the kids bath toys, and turned to run to the dryer for one last post-bath item.* As I turned past the door, I noticed Abbie climbing out of the tub, possibly to follow me, but more likely she wanted to run around the house naked. Not wanting her to mark any territory, I sighed and gave her the most powerful bath toy known: A glass of water. She could drink from it, pour it on her bath toys, or just dump it on a brother. That should be enough to keep her in the tub until I returned.

I ran to the dryer, grabbed her pajamas, and ran back to the bathroom. When I returned, Abbie was out of the tub, and standing at the sink next to the tub. She can’t operate the faucet in the tub, but she can operate the faucet in the sink. Apparently distraught that the tub held no water, she was standing at the sink with the water running, filling her cup, and pouring it into the tub. I saw her do this three times, presumably in an effort to fill the bathtub the only way she knew how. I have to give credit to those problem solving skills.

* I’d like to stress that the bathtub had no water in it at this point, and the drain was open just in case someone did add a little liquid to the tub.