I have an announcement to make…. I have my own bathroom! I know, probably not what you were expecting but in my world it’s a big deal. As a mother just being able to go to the bathroom alone is a like a mini vacation, Now I have one of my very own.
I have never in my life not had to share a bathroom. First, as the oldest of five kids I shared a bathroom with everyone; it was rare when I was a child to have more than one bathroom in your house, unless you were from the other side of the tracks.
Then I got married, I moved from my mother’s house into an apartment with my new husband. We moved from apartment to apartment, had a baby and bought a house and I never had my own bathroom. I’ve never had a bathroom that wasn’t filled with other peoples stuff. First my siblings, then my husbands and finally my daughters. After you have a child, every inch of your house is covered with their belongings and the bathroom is no exception.
It started with potty chairs and progressed to hair bows, ribbons and barrettes. Now it’s blow dryers, flat irons and hair extensions. Finally Hailey moved to the bedroom in the basement where she has her own bathroom. It’s amazing how special having a bathroom of my own feels. As a mother there isn’t a space in your house that isn’t available to your children. Hailey still curls up in bed with me to talk, but no longer do we have to fight over mirror and counter space. I’m not going crazy seeing the drawer on her side of the vanity so stuffed with makeup and mess that it won’t close.
It’s very calming to walk into a bathroom your children don’t use, I’m no longer picking up wet towels and dirty clothes, putting the cap back on the toothpaste or replacing the toilet paper roll that teenagers are physically incapable of replacing.
Now, I go into the bathroom and its clean and neat, everything is where it should be. I love it, but I must admit that it makes me a little sad because it’s one more example of her growing up and away from me.