Not a parent but that’s what I’m observing. It’s cutting into computer/TV time. Personally, I would declare bed-time at X-o’clock and then the bath follows the bed-time so it’s not seen as a loss of play time.
Part 2 of this psychological war is to present bathing as a grown-up activity. Only real young children need to be told clean themselves… yadda yadda yadda. I can imagine my mom letting me overhear a phone conversation “can you believe I had to tell him to wash”. My father would have done the ole looking-over-the-newspaper-glare “your mother and I shouldn’t have to tell you to take a bath” lecture with a dismissive look.
Part 3 is pre-emptive strikes. My mom was always good about telling me in advance what she expected. I was getting lectures about “fatherhood” before I ever saw a naked **PICTURE **of a girl. She would have started in on the “big boys clean themselves” lecture when I could barely understand English.
I hated baths when I was a little kid. I couldn’t explain exactly why. It wasn’t the bath itself so much, that part was tolerable, occassionally fun. It was that squeaky-clean feeling you had right after you got out. It felt unnatural, I couldn’t stand it.
I have two little boys, one of them, the 5 year old, likes baths but he’s a kid who can play by himself for hours with some action figures and a box so he keeps himself very busy in the tub but dislikes the washing part, the 8 year old will do anything to get out of a bath but once he’s in he doesn’t want to get out.
I was another Calvin, couldn’t get me in there to save your life, and then couldn’t get me out just the same. If your kids hate baths, it’s because you’ve not found the right toys to let them bring with them. Oh, the thousands of dollars worth of Star Wars stuff that I soaked into paint flaked messes…
My three little boys love their baths/showers. If it were up to them, they’d take 3-4 a day. There are no bath toys, just bright scrubbies and kiddie bath gel and baby shampoo.
The Nephew loves to bath, although he hates changing activity so getting him into the bathtub can sound like the conversation in the OP. He’s like his uncle in that respect; Uncle is now 32 but he still takes foreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeever to get into the shower and foreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeever to get out of it, forever to get into bed but wouldn’t leave it, the last person to sit down for lunch and the slowest eater…
The Nephew’s Proud Daddy, OTOH, has always been an early person. When we said “bath time” he’d want to be in the tub already because, you know, bathing was cool and the bubbles were cool and the little plastic boat was cool and since anyway you have to bath, the sooner you get in, the sooner you’re out and back to playing with your Clicks. He’s still an early person, as am I.
So I don’t think it’s got anything to do with “little boys.” It’s more “some people.”
My two year old loves bathtime… always has. (Except- he hates having his hair washed.)
My 9 month old, it is too early to tell.
I think the general trend is towards older kids than mine though… and probably because they would rather continue to play then sit in a boring old bathtub.
I think it more of a timing issue. Kids still want to play not take a bath. They may also associate it with you can’t play at what you want after the bath or they have to go to bed after. It’s the same with active girls.
Isn’t there anybody here who washes the kids at times other than “right before bed”?
Bro bathes the Nephew shortly before bed, but at home it used to be when we got dressed or if dirty (for example after gym class or coming home in a hot day).
My two boys love the bath. My three year old can be naked within seconds of hearing the word bath. He’d stay in there til he’s a shrivelled up blue prune! He’d even bathe at others peoples houses if you let him…but don’t touch the hair!
Washing his hair is like you were pouring acid over him!
You’d think you were pulling his fingernails out when you try to cut his hair. Hoefully, it’s just a phase.
When I was a little girl, I hated taking baths because the temperature of the house was too cold for me, and I dreaded the feel of the cold air afterwards. Also, I had to stop another activity that I liked such as watching tv or playing with toys to take a shower.
Maybe your kids would enjoy showering/bathing more, if you rewarded them afterwards by giving them a treat or by giving them fun bathtub toys.
As an adult, I’m still not loving the shower, but of course I do it.
Did you dive into the bath tub? I’ve never experienced that at all. Either the bath is drawn and I climb in, slowly if it’s too hot, or the shower is turned on and when it reached the right temperature I step in.
I loved bath time as a kid. You could keep me busy for hours while I pretended to fight Jaws and stuff. The only time I didn’t want my bath was when I was right in the middle of some serious playtime and I had to stop what I was doing and come in, because the bath didn’t sounds as much fun as what I was alreaydy doing.
Did you dive into the bath tub? I’ve never experienced that at all. Either the bath is drawn and I climb in, slowly if it’s too hot, or the shower is turned on and when it reached the right temperature I step in.