The Bathing Queen

And the winner is-Little Diva,Aadya!
The girl is obsessed with Baths and showers. If she is having a dull day..meaning,mommy refusing to play her favorite animated movies on TV,or mommy not letting her bring all her toys to the living room..(I mean,why did I turn one whole room into toy room,if she had to still play in(read mess up) the living room.So,I was saying,if she is having a dull day,she makes a puppy dog face,gives those extra loving cuddles and asks in a melt-your-heart sweet voice,”tub Naaiina?” The twinkle in her eyes,that mischievous smile..ohh the girl,sure knows how to tug at my heart-strings..Sometimes,its these things that work for her..on others,its a quick flying kiss,hug and a cock of her head towards the tub..no words said.I ask her,”hmm,so what do you want now?”And she just says,”mamma”,a naughty smile playing on her lips,just that nod again..eyes dancing from my face to the tub…Ohh I wish I were better with words,to describe the scene to you..
And then there are other days,when,its just a full blown tantrum..that starts for something else,and midway changes tracks to beg and scream to be put into the tub.
Anyway,its all about tub Naiina..(naiina is short for naii-naii,which is baby talk to bathtime!).And everything has to be done in the right order.Mamma has to fill the tub,the water temperature adjusted.Not one to waste time,by then,Aadi has already taken off her clothes.Next she hands me the bottle of bubble bath and starts throwing her bath toys into the tub..Then,she is lost in her bath,for the next 15-20 minutes,blowing bubbles,playing with her toys.When she has had spent enough time playing,she is ready for the next step..that is stepping into the shower..but there are clear instructions,”No putting Shampoo in my hair”..as if that will stop me.The bath ritual done with,then,comes the warm milk and then nap time.
But this bath greedy child is not satisfied with her long bath..Everytime,I duck into the bathroom for a quick shower,she creeps into the bathroom,undressed and ready to enter the shower stall.I used to let her come in..But,sometime last week,when I wasn’t getting any alone time and bathroom was my only recluse,I told her No,as she tried to enter the shower.The child must be a cat in previous life..thats how quietly she sneaks in…So,I didnt let her enter..and she started crying..”Mamma no fair,I want Naiina”..I ignored…as she got louder and louder and then,I turned off the shower and stepped out.She then sulked and later told me how Angry she was…
Baba hasn’t been spared either..She has tried everything from fake tears to scolding…he is ready to give in every single time..”Kya karu,should I let her come in?” If it weren’t for my “No”s …she would be having 3-4 baths per day!