Bath time used to be a place of solace, reflection, and release for me. I could stay in the tub for over an hour. If the water got cold, I’d add more hot water.
Things are a bit different now. It’s not unusual that just as I lean my head back and close my eyes, I hear the dragging of a stool in close proximity to the tub. I open my eyes to see my daughter attempting to play with the bubbles, talk to me, or just be in the same room with me. I dare not lie and say that I always welcome these moments. Nevertheless, tonight’s bath time was different.
Last weekend, we purchased three new books from the bookstore- all favorite read-alouds of mine. Out of the three, my daughter’s favorite was “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” by Judy Viorst. I decided to reread it to her while she was in the tub. I LOVE this book. It gives so much room for antics and using your facial expression and voice inflection to bring to life Alexander’s exasperation as you read. When I finished reading, my daughter asked if she could read it to me while she was still in the bath. To avoid wet pages and not extend bath time by 20 to 30 more minutes, I told her she could read it to me while I was in the tub.
I finished my daughter’s bath time, got her dressed, grabbed her dessert, and started my own bath water. She dragged her pink chair from her table set into my bathroom and used our regular stool to hold her napkin and cookie. As she read, she began to imitate my reading of “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” She read with excitement, spelling words for me that she couldn’t pronounce. Because I was familiar with the story, anticipation of certain words helped me support her. I didn’t try to “teach” her per se; however, I did use questions to push her thinking. I mimicked Alexander, laughed at some happenings, and engaged with the characters and storyline. Multiple times, my daughter spelled out the word “could.” I made a mental note to post could, should, and would somewhere around the house in the next several days and practice reading those words with her. In the meantime, I told her the world every time she asked. We laughed when she realized what the word was by the third or fourth ask. By the end of the book, she remembered what it was. She felt no shame in not knowing a word. Our energy was light. She was enjoying a book, enjoying the reading, enjoying the storyline, and enjoying the experience of reading this particular book with me.
Bath time tonight was invaluable.
I embraced the moment. I embraced our version of bath time and in return received an opportunity to experience the joy of a good story with my daughter.