Every time I look at the random assortment of toys in my shower, I can’t help but smile. As my kids are getting older (I can’t seem to slow time down, no matter how hard I try), the little reminders that childhood still exists in our home are so sweet. We are deep in the throes of parenting, and we are more so in the middle years, not so much the little years anymore. I find myself missing those little years more and more. While I can’t rewind the clock, I can choose to soak up the little moments and memories.
I may not be needed for bath time anymore, although my youngest wants me to stay close by. I remember longing for the day they could wash their own hair, even as I knew I’d miss that precious time, but I love that our youngest wants to shower in our bathroom. And with him come a yellow toy helicopter, a stormtrooper, a minion, and an army man. Every day when I step into the shower, rather than being annoyed by the toys that have moved to a different location, I’m delighted by these little glimpses of childhood because they mean my children are still living in my home and still playing, being kids. I don’t delight in the moments when I accidentally step on one of said toys in the shower.
Although I don’t miss the mess, I miss the days when toys filled our den—from Magna-Tiles to dolls to dress-up attire scattered across the room. I miss watching my children play for hours on end. Our days are much more structured now that all our kiddos are in school, so those long stretches of unstructured play are fewer and farther between.
When I first noticed the toys in our master shower, my first inclination was to get them out of there so our bathroom would feel nice and relaxing, but my second thought was how happy I am that my youngest still finds joy in imaginary play. At the end of a long day of school and routines, he unwinds by going on an adventure in a yellow plastic helicopter with a minion, a stormtrooper, and an army man. Hearing him act out different scenes each day reminds me that childhood is still here, albeit fleeting. So I’m soaking up the moments (and the water that inevitably seems to be everywhere after bath/shower time each evening). Because I know one day, all too soon, the toys and the puddles of water won’t be there anymore. And when that day comes, I know I’ll be grateful I soaked up every last drop.
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