If I only had a clue…

My bathtub has turned into a training ground for the pool. Recent episodes of poo dumping while bathing have led my son to refuse going into the tub without a diaper. This might have something to do with me screaming…

“you did what??? Poooop… oh, that’s disgusting, get out of the tub now!!! That stuff will make you sick…!”

Okay, so maybe I overreacted a bit, but still, poop in the bathtub is flat-out disgusting. Especially when your kids still find enjoyment in sticking toys in their mouths and spitting water at each other for fun.

My rabid response to the situation while making both children wait for a fresh tub of water in order to be properly scrubbed might have something to do with my son’s hesitation to continue enjoying baths in his bathing suit.

However, in my desperate search for a clue, I have to admit that it took me a week to figure out what was going on. For a solid week, “E” refused to get in the tub which had previously been a favorite time of day. He would scream when I put him in the water; stand against the wall with one leg hanging over the side; or simply climb out of the tub and play from the sidelines.

Nothing I did to get him in the bath worked. After a week, I was desperate. His hair hadn’t been washed in a week – it smelled, and not that good kinda sweet Johnson & Johnson No More Tears residue smell, but the boy this kid stinks and when did his mother last bathe him kinda smell.

Well, at least he was still brushing his teeth so his breath didn’t stink too.

I was beginning to worry that his daycare would be calling DCFS if I didn’t do something soon. Bound and determined to enjoy a clean, smell-free child, I grabbed a swim diaper and threw it on.

Amazingly, the problem was solved. 30 minutes later, he was still playing and even occasionally, actually sitting in the water. It looks as if I may have scarred the child for life, but at least he’s clean.