My grandma used to rinse our hair by holding our heads under the faucet. Naturally, we’d panic and struggle, and grandma was never a model of patience. I’m pretty sure she wanted to drown us some days.
I have to say that I do love a good long soak in the bath, but it’s more of a weekend thing for me. I prefer showers during the week as they’re quicker and it’s much easier if I have to wash my hair at the same time. A shower is just me, water and soap/shower gel/shampoo, and it’s a 10-minute process. A bath takes time to fill the tub, time for my bath bomb/melt or whatever to dissolve, and time for me to soak in it until I’m ready to get out.
Always have loved baths/showers and just water in general, and have been puzzled if not boggled by reports (such as here) that some children and even adults don’t. I dislike feeling all grimy and sticky, and when I was a kid I could play with my toys in the tub (have always been a big submarine buff).
And a very charming song: "You Can Never go Down the Drain" (1996) - Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
As a child I found this song weird because I couldn’t imagine being afraid of such a thing. I have a better imagination now.
Me, too, which is why i shower regularly despite the unpleasantness of getting into the shower.
My mom used to occasionally sing this disturbingly demented-sounding song “My baby has gone down the drain-hole”.
This one, in fact…
This is my memory of those years, others mention the same, I’m surprised the OP didn’t realize this was the actual basis of the common refrain. I suppose there’s something to the boys are dirtier than girls aspect, but I think that applies to self motivation to bathe independent of mom’s urging.
Perhaps in the same category, there has been a change in toilet training since I was a baby due to the absorption capabilities of Pampers and related products (now the default meaning of diapers to many). I’ve heard repeatedly and remember from my own kids that both the kids and parents are less interested in changing those high tech diapers very often since the child remains dry, comfortable, and less odoriferous. Not to mention somewhat cuter with the Ninja Turtle motif printed on them. The motivation for parents to have the kids learn to use a toilet is largely financial now since Pampers aren’t free and in addition they take up a lot of closet space.
And to digress again, my kids went through a period when they wore the Underoos on backwards. Originally these underpants had superheroes and the like printed on the seat of the underwear where the child couldn’t even see it, so they put them on the sensible way with the picture in front. I don’t know if Fruit of the Loom ever figured it out but some companies did and began decorating the front.
As primary body cleaning tools, yes. Cleaning yourself with a bath is time consuming and inefficient. For me, a bath is for luxurious soaking in rich minerals and oils. You light a candle, have good music, read, and nod off. My primary body cleaning tool, however, is definitely a shower.
Probably as a result of my stroke I have no memories of those years.
Even if I did, one data point is meaningless.
Not gonna lie, I still have to fight with myself to take a shower. It’s a fight between Adult Me who likes to be clean and Child Me who doesn’t want to stop what they’re doing (usually watching TV) to pivot to bath & bed time. And sometimes there’s Elderly Me who is too tired and sore to want to go through the rigamarole of standing in the shower for 10 minutes because sitting down is so much nicer.
It’s quite possibly the fault of me being a nighttime shower person, so taking a shower for me is still, after 44 years, the precursor for going to bed. From what I can tell, most adults are not nighttime shower people so for everyone else, a shower is an invigorating beginning to their day.
For me it was just part of the routine for certain nights of the week (while I was a kid). I don’t remember it being a big deal either way. I do remember my parents made it better by letting me play around for a while first.
I bet you could think of a number N where if someone ordered you to have N showers a day, you’d consider that redundant and pointless.
I’m a shower guy, and have no memory of ever taking a bath (hot tubs don’t count). I love a piercing shower. I should post a pic of our current setup–pretty much the nicest shower I’ve ever been in, and we’ve been in some fancy hotels.
Please do. I’m totally happy with a cheap assed shower head ($6.59 IIRC). Maybe o need to upgrade
Our shower - Album on Imgur So we went all out. Metallic epoxy floors, backlit glass panels, plaster ceiling, steam, a redwood bench, body sprays, hand spray. 4’x5’. Heated floor, of course. Not sure why the pic isn’t auto-filled. Apologies. Cost? $1200 for the steamer. $1000 for the fixtures. $2000 for the tile. I built the bench. The door jambs are brushed aluminum that I did. Expensive, but very enjoyable. The steamer has controls on the inside and outside of the shower, so that’s nice.
You know, it’s a nice shower stall, but Imgur didn’t really need to ask me if I’m over 18.
That site has REALLY changed since I was last there, and that wasn’t too long ago. Anyone got a new photo hosting site?
WooHooo! Party at Tride’s place! Man, that is sweet.
When camping, I’ve showered beneath a repurposed Iron City Beer Ball Keg painted black so the water wasn’t freezing cold. I like yours better.
Are you by any chance a plumber? I know a guy with an extreme high tech shower set up and he is a plumber
No, but I’m a high-end contractor (was, actually) so I saw a lot of what the rich and famous did. This is my value engineered version of that… I’ll need some photos and a vaccination record if we’re going to party in the shower…
I can send you a photo of my vaccination record. Very buff.