The Shampoo Incident of 2008

My one-year-old is what I like to call “spirited.” She is curious, carefree and willing to try anything. She is also quiet as a church mouse when it serves her purpose. Just the other day, I was reminded of her deep desire for experimentation. It seems that her purpose is to find the consequence to every action.

It all started rather innocently. I had three different dishes that I planned to make for our family reunion. My plan of attack was to pull together the two easier recipes, since I wanted to involve my girls (who are budding chefs) and save the last for, well, last. They’d be tired of helping out and I could pull it together while they were playing in the next room.

As planned, they were WAAAY over being my sous chefs by the time Recipe #3 rolled around. They ran off to play in the living room and I got a little peace in the kitchen. So- I’m stirring the blue cheese mixture on the stove, being careful not to burn it (and feeling pretty proud of my efforts thus far )when I smell strawberries. “Hmm. Funny. Why would this smell like strawberries? Lauren’s shampoos smells like straw….NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! “ I round the corner to the stairs and I hear it. “Uh ohhh.” That’s Addison’s calling card for destruction. On the landing between the two flights of stairs I find her (completely slathered from ears to toes in kid’s strawberry shampoo) and happily smearing three quarters of the bottle all over the floor. She is all smiles.

I froze. Lauren, my 3-year-old joined me at the disaster site. “Mom- what are you gonna do?” My options are not black and white here. I’ve got boiling and burning happening downstairs on the stove, a one-year-old who smells like a living, breathing Strawberry Shortcake and a mess that would rattle even an expert house cleaner. “I don’t know, Lauren.” And then I took a deep breath. With an exasperated sigh (and a half-smile) I plopped Addison in the tub (clothes and all), cleaned up the shampoo slick, and managed to finish the casserole.

Later that night I had to laugh as I recapped the days’ events with my husband. That girl of ours. I love and fear her curiosity. It is, after all, inherently good that she have this passion to unravel, demolish, test boundaries, and find the balance of her surroundings. It is both entertaining and exhausting, but I love her for it. It’s who she is and I will continue seeking ways in which I can encourage her spirit- perhaps without sacrificing the hardwood floors. And, yes, they still smell like strawberry, but at least they’re not slippery anymore.