Guest Author - Lisa Lambson

As a mother I know that I am guilty of rushing my kids out of the tub. My sons have heard more than once, “C’mon, get done in there so your brother can get in.” It occurs to me that I may have done them a disservice in my rush to get things done.

Baths are known for relaxation. How often do you say to yourself or to your husband and kids, “I just need to go relax for a little while in a nice, hot bath.”? Baths relieve stress and hydrate your skin.

Baths are a wonderful way for you to allow your children the relaxation they may not know how to allow themselves yet. They may not lay back in the bubbles with soft music and candles or essential oils warming to enhance the relaxation factor just yet. In fact, they may slip and slide around and splash water everywhere. They may shoot water guns or drive all their little cars around. They may add an entire roll of toilet paper to the bath water when you aren’t looking. They may want to play grown up and have lots and lots of bubbles.

But even if they do…you can rest assured that the short time spent in the bathtub will be their own little escape from whatever challenges came their way that day and I think they deserve that just as much as we do. The bath can give them time away from the world just like adults. We sometimes forget how challenging it is to be young. The pressures of playing and learning and growing can cause an enormous weight for those little shoulders and they can get tired very easy and not even realize it.

The bath is also a wonderful place to practice meditation yourself. Place a candle at the opposite end of the tub so you can meditate and the flickering of the flame. Settle in and focus on the flame. Breathe slowly and deeply. Take in the shape, edge, movement and the way the color of the flame changes. Allow your mind to fill with questions or issues that are a concern for you and see whether or not some new idea or answer comes to mind. It may be best to focus on one type of concern for the first few times like career or family, not both.

Happy Bathing!