Today was a long one. The kids were overtired and not listening and I was overtired and not as patient as usual. After supper I asked my husband if he’d mind if I snuck away for a bubble bath to relax and recharge for a few minutes before the bedtime routine got underway.

He was fine with it so I crept out of the kitchen and quietly made my way upstairs.

 

In an attempt to keep my plan as secret as possible, I gently closed the door to our room, put the radio on quietly and kept the lights off. I filled the tub and happily found my way into the heaping mass of bubbles and hot water.

 

 

I hadn’t been in there for two minutes when I heard the click of our door opening. By the scurrying sounds of the feet I knew it was our four-year-old before she even came around the corner.

 

“What are you doing Mommy?” “Just having a bath sweetie, I’ll be out in a few minutes.” Much to my surprise, she gave me a quick ‘okay mom’ and turned around and left. That was easy. I sunk lower into the tub.

 

Less than a minute later I had the distinct feeling someone was watching me. I opened my eyes and there she was – naked in the doorway with a towel, a bunch of Barbies and a huge smile on her face. “Can I come in with you Mommy?”

 

As my mouth smiled back and said ‘sure’, my inner voice was saying the complete opposite. Just 15 minutes. Can I please please please just have 15 minutes?

 

Seconds later there we were – smushed into a regular sized tub pretending the Barbies were camping at a lake. It was only a few minutes of playing before she surprised me and cuddled up on top of me. As we lay there in the dimly lit bathroom snuggling under a pile of bubbles, she suddenly began talking about school.

 

To most that may not seem like a big deal but for me, it was huge. Since she started primary four weeks ago, it has been impossible to get any details out of her. Her days are “good” and when asked what she did in any particular class the answer has consistently been, “I forget”.

 

 

She told me stories about the games they play at recess. She mentioned the names of other kids in her class and talked about who sits in her group at school. She told me about the kinds of things other kids were bringing in their lunches that she’d like to try sometime. She expressed some worry about a child in her class who cries a lot and another one who gets angry a lot. She even told me about some of her routines like what they have to do when they come into class in the morning. To top it off, she then quietly practiced her French by singing me her ABCs, counting to five and singing the days of the week.

 

The moment was quiet, relaxing and just plain awesome. It certainly wasn’t the 15 minutes that I thought I wanted but I got the fifteen minutes that I had desperately been hoping for with her. It never ceases to amaze me that the greatest moments with kids tend to come in those strange moments when you are least expecting them. It blows my mind to think what I would have missed had I have followed what was in my head and turned her away.

 

 

Deanna is a Mom of three, wife, marketer and blogger – lover of travel, morning coffee, family time, belly laughs, good friends and uninterrupted showers! Follow her on twitter @DeannaCMiller