Elaina has been washing her hands in the sink for a while now, but several weeks ago, it became one of her favorite things to do. She also insists upon doing it herself.
A very common event in our house is Elaina running towards the bathroom calling excitedly, “Wash hands! Don’t help me!”
Well, these pictures were taken on a Saturday when I didn’t help. I forget what I was doing, but I left my self-sufficient little daughter alone, washing her hands for a few minutes. I heard the ordinary, excited babble of her washing her hands with the water on full-blast. (Elaina’s not one for moderation.) When I looked in on her, this is the sight that greeted me.
(Elaina’s cousin Tom might not remember this, but he also liked to wash his hands and had to be reminded to go easy on the soap. When I saw Elaina and her sink full of bubbles, I couldn’t help but remember a three year old Tommy’s cheery, early morning smile, “It’s a great day to be up!”)
What I don’t have a picture of is the all-too-common event of Elaina putting her hand right against the faucet, spraying water everywhere, laughing and yelling, “Shobber-shobber!” (which translates to “shower”). I’ve never quite decided if that’s hilarious or infuriating…a little of both, I guess.
This has gotten better lately as a result of my policy that leverages the importance Elaina places on washing her hands without help: “I won’t help you as long as you show that you don’t need my help—too many bubbles, water on the floor, and water on your shirt mean you need my help.” Since then, “shobber-shobber” is mostly a thing of the past, which is mostly a good thing…mostly.
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1 comment:
That's how I used to wash my hands at Grandma's. I would fill up the sink with water and bubbles and wash in the little tub I made. Pretty sure I wasn't the only one and I think Grandma even showed us how to do that...
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