Bathtime

Ok, so my eldest has just (last week) entered the glorious realm of teendom. I haven't been looking forward to this since the lad turned five and I could see what I might be in for. He has always had an um, enquiring mind. Translation... he is never satisfied until you have talked yourself hoarse when he wants an answer. More to the point, until you have given him the answer he wants.

I am drifting from my point, a bad habit of mine I'm afraid.

Anyway the point I am meandering ever so slowly towards, is this, the boy does not enjoy baths, showers, any form of contact with clean soapy water. Tonight I could stand it no more and ordered him up to the bathroom. I suggested a shower. He declared he'd prefer a bath, fine by me a bath it is.

Half an hour after the initial conversation I discover him standing in his room staring at his gecko (not a euphemism, he's got a gecko). "Did you have your bath?" I ask, fully aware by the bone dry hair and no towels on the bathroom floor, that he hadn't. "Ooh, I forgot" standard fare when the boy is avoiding doing something. "Well you better hurry up it's getting late" a confused stare follows "Oh. What now?" My patience (what there is of it) is flying out of the window at this point "BATH NOW!" much muttering and shuffling ensues.

Ten minutes later my dear darling boy shouts down, "I've forgotten how to run a bath". Hmmm, he's not going easily is he? I try and restrain the sarcasm but that's not easy for me. "Why don't you try and turn the tap?" suggests I . "Muuuuum, don't you have to mix the water up?" Eh? Just turn on the tap and fill up the bath!!! This goes on for much much longer than I can type for, or you could be bothered to read I'm sure, but the upshot was he managed to avoid contact with hot soapy water for approximately an hour and ten more minutes, wound me up to the point where I thought my head would actually rotate 360 degrees and almost (only almost) wore me down to the point where he nearly got his own way.

Not silly these teens are they?