division of labor

while scott and i were expecting with e, we read through an obscene amount of baby books.  i won't tell you how many- just trust me when i say it was a little bit excessive.  in hind site, the process of reading them was probably good for my mental preparation-  the content of the books, not so much.  i think it is a fair assessment to say that parenting is a little less "book smarts" and a lot more "on the job training".

while reading all of this stuff, i remember coming across a list in one of the books.  the list sort of laid out the tasks that new baby will need completed on a regular basis.  scott and i just sat on the couch and stared at the list with our jaws down to our knees.  it was an alarming, eye opening, life-changing, moment.  it's not like we didn't know- but really, we didn't know.

and so in that moment, my hubs decided to choose his job.  both of us like predictability and so this worked for us.  he scrutinized the list from every angle and then declared that he would like to be in charge of bathing.

done.

and so when e arrived home from the hospital and was to get her first sponge bath, scott was the man on deck.  i sat on the floor next to him, taking a back seat.  when he needed something, i handed it to him.  but he was the always the first responder. 

this routine has continued successfully for 8 years.  i jump in from time to time to give him a break, or take over if he isn't home.  there have been times that they have needed an extra scrub-a-dub in a given week and i don't hesitate to give this to them.  but for the most part, daddy is the bath guy.

last night, scott was sitting in the bathroom hanging out while d and p were playing mermaid in the tub.  i walked in and scott and i chatted for a few minutes while they played.   as i was about to walk out, delaney called out to me to stay. 

"don't leave, mom.  i want YOU to be bath guide."

both scott and i turned and looked at her, with squinted eyes, necks extended like birds and mouth slightly open.

"what did you just say, buggy?"

"i said that i wanted you to be bath guide."

"bath guide?"

"yeah, you know, the one that tells us when to wash with soap and rinse and shampoo and to get out."

"i didn't know it had a title, delaney.  where did you hear that?"

"it's just what it is called!"

and so now you know.  the person that has hangs out in the bathroom guiding kiddos through this process does in fact have a title.  apparently, that person is called BATH GUIDE.

out of the mouths of babes.

scott and i both giggled for the rest of the night.