Bathtime used to be a fun time to splash and wonder at bubbles. Until…
A few weeks ago Maddie inexplicably became terrified of having her hair rinsed after shampooing. We have no idea what could have brought it on. Normally it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but her terror of the clean water phase became pathological. She began to dread bathtime and shampooing because they led up to rinsing.
She would cry and howl until there was no more air left in her tiny little body. It was heart-wrenching. We love our daughter, and we hate to do anything that terrorizes her so. So we tried everything we could think of to expedite process, or to make her more comfortable. But little helped, Maddie had it ingrained in her that hair rinsing was torture.
It was my turn to bathe her last Sunday. I knew that Maddie had gotten a little better during the hair rinsing process. (Thank God.) So I set to task, and wonder of wonders, she didn’t even cry. Whew, what a break through.
Glad that phase was over.
So it was time to take Maddie out of the tub. I say, “OK Maddie, time to step out.” She shakes her head, turns her back to me, and scrunches to the other side of the tub. “C’mon Maddie. Let’s go.” I reach for her, and she liquifies the bones in her body. (Parents know what I’m talking about. She just went all rubbery to escape my grasp.) I try again, and she starts howling.
Wait a minute.
So, here I am, trying to get Maddie out of the water, and she’s freaking. Wasn’t it just two weeks ago that she was terrified of the tub because of the hair rinsing process? Now she doesn’t mind, and as a matter of fact, she’d rather not leave the tub, thank you very much. Was this some kind of cosmic joke? I guess that’s a matter of opinion. What’s certain:
That’s children for ya.
Who We Were Then
- David
- Lillian
- Maddie (2 years old)