The Shaving Foam Incident

ARGGGHH I thought this has stopped!!!

For a while when I insisted that she needed a nap she would go up there calmly, and then come out of her room a few minutes later and make a mess in the bathroom, unroll the toilet paper, that sort of thing. Basically soak everything, climb up high to reach (and pour away) any toiletries she could get, and have a whale of a time in there The bathroom door is pathetic and no lock we put on it stayed in place, and she won't nap down here at all because her sister provides far too much distraction.

We dealt with it at the time by giving her more choice over when (and where) nap times were as long as she wasn't acting too tired. She could decide to go up earlier or later, or to go to sleep in my room, or she could nap in her den or even downstairs as long as she and Morgan left each other alone. Some days she would argue her case for not having a nap and I would be fine with that - though if she was really mardy and stroppy and rubbing her eyes (or pulling her hair lol) I would insist. That was all fine, and she was sometimes napping sometimes not, not really minding having to go when she was tired, and I was not having to deal with any big messes.

I also made a big point of not commenting on what she had done, blaming, yelling, or anything like that. When it rarely still happened she would have to clear it up and I would help. She had more bath times when she asked for them (rather than just when she was dirty) and got to play with fun bath bombs and home made soaps and things. She and Morgan love to bath together and generally spread bubbles all over the four walls. ;) It has been at least two months since she did anything awful when she was meant to be napping.

Today she had a nap again, needed one, was acting out and almost dropped off to sleep independantly on the sofa until Morgan went and tried to tickle her... I took her up and stayed for a few minutes, until I heard Morgan calling me again. After ten minutes I heard her out of bed and asked if she was OK. She shouted back yes, and that she was getting back in bed. Five minutes later all was quiet but I thought I should check on her anyway as she often loses her covers and the house is quite cold. As I got up there the bathroom door slammed and she said, "Don't come in!!!"

Shaving foam all over EVERYTHING - the towels, the toilet paper, the clothes basket and washing, the bin, the bath, the sink, the toilet (and the toilet basin full of the stuff). Every INCH of her skin and hair. How do those things go so FAR?? I spent half an hour cleaning it up, trying to stay calm with her and also prevent her touching it much more since she'd already got some in her eyes. Trying to make the water warm enough to wash her off, with a hot water tank running on empty. Crying at her crying and not knowing what to do with her, not knowing how come she keeps doing this, why she did it again after all this time. :( When I saw it all I wanted, just for a moment, to either hit her or walk out of the house and not come back.

I'm all out. I feel like I don't even know her. Why? (Not to mention where did she find a can of shaving foam, since hubby hasn't used a chemical one for years!??) Am I ever going to be able to look back on this and laugh about it?