All You Add is Shampoo

Oh dear.

I discovered a problem this morning.

And this "problem" has been going on for quite a while.

"Quite a while" as in, ever since I let Kyle enter the world of showering-on-your-own vs. having-mommy-bathe-you (or at least supervising the task.) So, approximately 3 years!

This "problem" has gone undetected...Suspected, but undetected until this morning.

I have noticed that Kyle's hair does not always have that clean, shiny look. I often passed it off as too much gel build-up, lots of sweating at recess, wearing baseball hats all the time, not to mention using his head as a "napkin" when eating...BUT, I was also noticing that the level on the shampoo bottles in his shower was not going down. It sure seemed like those same bottles were there for a long time! I've given him a mini-refresher courses on the definition of a "shower" (getting whole body & head wet, washing body w/ soap, washing hair w/ shampoo), I've reminded him about taking showers, I've even confronted him about taking showers when it didn't seem like he was. These instances were followed by me witnessing him "post-shower" with wet hair & his PJ's on - so I considered it done. So, what's with the look of his hair?

This morning after I gave him a haircut, he needed to shower off the hair anyway, PLUS he has a piano recital today, so I decided to MONITOR to see if there was a problem. Poor kid...after all, he is a BOY and I am his Mother (a girl), but I felt it necessary. He came into the bathroom with a towel wrapped around him and did not drop it until he was behind the [closed] shower curtain. He stuck out his hand through a small opening so I could put a sufficient amount of shampoo in his palm.

Here's where I discovered the problem....

With the shampoo in his palm, he asked, "Do I just put it directly on my hair?"

What?!?

As opposed to...? indirectly on his armpit?!!

I think I've got the non-shine mystery figured out.

At this discovery, I insisted on pulling the curtain back to observe - and for his peace of mind, keep my eyes on his hair only. I also found out he was using a "patting" motion with one hand. I, then, introduced him to the two-hand SCRUB! He had been apparently taking showers without shampooing his hair. (Don't tell me he's gone 3 yrs. without a shampoo!! Ewww!) What happened next gave me the answer as to WHY? He doesn't know how to hold his head in the shower so that the shampoo rinses OFF - and NOT straight down into his eyes - which inevitably happened this morning and he got distraught FAST! I kept coaching, "Look up at the ceiling! Look up at the ceiling!" So, why did he keep his face down to take some more shampoo in his eyes? We finally got it done.

I came out and I asked Ryan (mostly joking), "Do YOU use shampoo when you wash YOUR hair?" (Totally expecting him to answer, "yes.") But, instead he answers, "Not lately," as he smiles and rubs his hand through his recent buzz cut, "not much hair up there!"

What?!!

I delivered the "even-babies-with-two-strands-of-fine-hair-get-their-hair-washed-with-shampoo" lecture.

Like I said, Oh dear.