OT: Look Mommy, I made a water park!

If I had had the peace of mind to grab a camera, I would have, but at the time, I was sooooo pissed! Many of you know that a couple of weeks ago, we took the kids to an indoor waterpark. Liv had a ball... She apparently wanted to recreate the experience tonight in the shower. Being that we don't have a tub and the computer is about 10 feet away, I often start the shower and let her play in there with some little toys and a small bucket while I check my email, etc... She came out of the bathroom and said "Mommy, I made a water park and it's GIGANTIC!!!!" and I said, "Mmm hmm, that's good baby.' Two minutes later, I go in to check on her only to find 2 inches of water standing in my bathroom and the shower stall filled to overflowing with the bucket turned upside down over the drain.... I immediately shut the water off, remove said bucket, and start hollaring bloody murder... Yell outside for Aaron to come in to help and hear water in the basement. Send Aaron to the basement to check that out while I deal with the bathroom, at which point he lets loose a stream of expletives and promptly walks BACK outside, leaving me to clean up the mess... Sigh... I LOVE how kids have such GREAT ingenuity and imagination... This waterpark is now closed until further notice. I'm removing ALL of her toys for a couple of weeks to teach her a lesson... If it had happened to anyone else, or if I had caught it on video in order to get a chance to win $10,000, it'd be a WHOOOOOLLLLLLEEEEE lot funnier....

Becky, You've gotta love her ingenuity! I hope none of the damage to your home was serious, but I promise you'll look back on this as one of those fond memories of her growing up! Give her a big hug for me! Wanda

Gotta luv em... cant till em.... Riley who is 5, decided in her wisdom in looking for a shirt to empty EVERY SINGLE drawer in 2 dressers on to the floor.... the room was literally a foot deep with clothing.... she had help... our neighbors 3 yo. but she was definitely the instagator..... took both of us 2 hours to clean it up.... I threatedn her with bodily harm if she did it again.... and of course.... like you .... daddy left it for me to clean up... she is home with him 2 days per week... and he lets her destroy her room... which I have to clean.... They will grow up someday....... I hope Karen

Becky, feel your pain gal. With 5 kids , I walked in your shoes many times. I use a quote from the peace core : PARENTING - " THE HARDEST JOB YOU'LL EVER LOVE". The great thing about this is that someday you WILL look back on this and laugh and you will have a hilarious story to tell at family get togethers and someday when she's in her teens, she'll BEG you to not tell it to her friends The only regret I have of those yrs. is losing my cool. I remember fussing one time at my 4 yr old daughter and looking into her little blue eyes and seeing that she didn't at all 'get' the WHY of my anger ...only the pain that Mommy was mad and my heart felt { far away } from her. The louder my voice ...the less she could connect the dots. Thankfully parenting is a job where we are ever learning and growing...and yep, cleaning up messes .... but building up little hearts anyhow. Bless you , hope there was little damage. Mary * Glad you had a safe place to vent

cleaning up all tha****er sounds really unfun.

I can definately relate! I have constantly check on Chandler when hes in the bath, he loves to splash. I use to put him in my garden tub until he splashed so much water that the paint has started to peel off around the tub. Now hes in the other bathroom in the regular old tub. His thing is bubbles only they dont stay in the tub with him! Candy

Becky, You may not think so now, but you are REALLY going to miss these days.... My boy goes to College next week and my baby girl is getting her license. She has already told me that I won't see much of her this year between school, sports, work and social life. I keep looking at my husband and asking "when did this happen?" I have a collage of pictures on a cork board on the wall of my office. My kids at different stages. Somedays I look at the board and laugh when I remember the history behind the shot... (ie: my son making his "mean face" for the camera at 3, my daughter wearing her father's workboots at 4, etc...) These days, I look at the board and tear up because the time has flown... I keep saying that I want to have another baby. My husband keeps reminding me that they all grow up in time..... and it's OUR time.... I guess he's right but I miss them sooo much.... Kate Z 313/170/135

You've got a point... I know... I was looking at pics of Holden yesterday when he was about 3 and standing in front of an antique firetruck with a chit-eating grin on his face. Now, he's in middleschool, with his voice breaking every other word, turning that chit-eating grin on the little red-haired girl who rides his bus... But now it's not a little boy grin, it's a man-cub grin...and it's not directed at his momma, it's directed at a girl...