Shower Power
Posted by Danielle Bean in Family on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 3:00 PM
I was both amused and amazed at the number of moms who claimed “taking a shower” as one of their notable daily accomplishments in our recent discussion about focusing on small successes.
Personal cleanliness, a small amount of time spent alone, and the feeling of well-being that comes from being clean and refreshed seem like pretty basic human needs for mothers. But as every mother knows, there are times in our lives when daily time for showering can be really hard to come by.
After I first became a mom, I persisted with my morning shower routine despite the infant challenges. Kateri was a colicky baby. I remember keeping her bouncy seat on the bathroom floor just outside the shower stall so that I could listen to her scream and feel terribly guilty while I rushed through a quick shampoo and rinse—never mind shaving.
It was soon after my second child was born, however, that I came to the realization that morning showering just didn’t make any sense anymore. Though I preferred morning showers, the battle to find time for a shower before 5 pm each day just wasn’t worth it. I switched to evening showers—just before bed.
All these years later, nighttime showers are still my routine. I tend to stay up late anyway, so by the time I take a shower before bed, there are (usually) no children awake to disturb me. I have come to appreciate the upsides of nighttime showering (going to bed clean and fresh is a very nice feeling, especially in the summertime) and cope with the downsides (hairstyling needs a little “help” in the morning without the benefit of a shampoo).
It occurred to me recently that, with older kids in the house now, I might just be able to go back to the morning showers I once preferred. But I’m not sure I want to get up any earlier than I do or give up my streamlined mornings at this point.
How about you? When do you shower? What are your tricks and tips for squeezing in a shower, even when your children are all very small?
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