Bath Time!

Bath time in the evening at our house can take upwards of an hour for the girls.  Jason and I switch off responsibility of this task as it is so time consuming.   Bath time is a time for make believe and games.   Different games occur for different parents also.  

The first reoccurring game we remember playing over and over and over was Snow White.   Grace would play Snow White and the parent would play all supporting characters.   Once Clara was old enough to take baths with her sister the role of dwarf became her character.   So each night the wicked queen would ask the mirror who the most fairest one of all would be and become enraged (which the parent played up and Grace found hilarious) it was Snow White and not her.   There would always be a prop of an apple to eat and Snow White would fall asleep.   Then one (or more) princes would come and see if they could wake her up.   The finale would be the prince and princess would go to his castle and play then get married.    So we stuck fairly close to the original story but occasionally an extra prince would show up or the apple wouldn’t be poison the first time or other twists.



Grace used to line up the toys at the bath - including the ice cream cone pieces

Lately, the game played when I give them baths is “hair cutter”.    My name is Leslie Lou, and they are my clients.   Grace is Miss Brandie and Clara is Miss Belinda.   Miss Brandie has a girl named Stella (who I think is about Grace’s age from the stories Miss Brandie tells) and plenty of dogs and cats.   Miss Brandie is often graduating – either from high school or college and is sometimes getting a job at Nestle or going on vacation to Florida or China.    Miss Belinda’s character isn’t quite as developed, she is just Miss Belinda at the hair cutters.     Sometimes when Leslie Lou is very busy at the shop she needs assistance from Raul (Jason) with part of the spa treatment.   This Spa Miss Brandie and Miss Belinda attend must be very fancy as often there are requests to  stay for a movie and also sleep overnight at the spa.   Most times both requests are granted.



Grace at the hair cutters

The hair cutter game is not initiated when it is Jason’s night for baths.  Instead there is an ice cream game he and the girls play.   The girls have a toy ice cream cone in the bath with four removable scoops of ice cream all different flavors.    Clara & Grace play the shop keeper and Jason orders his flavors of cone.   Sometimes the shop keeper gives the customer what he wants, sometimes she doesn’t.   Apparently there is a very specific order of how this game is played and how the ice cream is eaten by the customer.   Every time I am asked to play this game I am told I am eating ice cream wrong or ordering the ice cream wrong.   To me, it is like going into the shop for the soup Nazi from Seinfeld!

Clara posing for the camera