Rise and Shine!

The last few mornings, at least one of our two children, if not both, have woken up earlier than one might desire. Nothing terrible - pre-dawn, of course, but given that we pretty much leave the house pre-dawn since it's still wintery and all, that's not as awful as it sounds. And not pre-6 am, either, which is my absolute you-must-stay-in-bed-until-at-least-this-reasonable-time time. However, they have been waking up and calling for us (in Lucy's case, and sometimes Finn's case) or traipsing upstairs to surprise us (Finn only, given that his sister is trapped in a cage-like bed still), shortly after 6 am. M. and I are always both up already by this time, but barely. The eyes are still blinking (long, long blinks), and the neurons are still slow to fire. And we typically still have a fair amount to do for OURSELVES so that we can then be ready to deal with the kids. Things like showering and dressing and brushing teeth and putting on make-up (me only) or shaving (M. only, because seriously, it's winter. Do you think I'm shaving?).

Such was the case this morning, when as I turned off the shower water and reached for my towel, I heard Finn's little voice pre-announcing his entrance as he appeared at the top of the bathroom steps (our master bathroom is inside our master bedroom, but up a short flight of steps. A flight of steps that does not have a door at the top, I might add, a design I am now questioning).

Finn kept us company (with an unending litany of questions) as M. and I continued doing the many things we needed to do for ourselves before we could go downstairs to get the kids ready. For me, this included (obviously) getting dressed, given my "in the shower" status when Finn arrived. I hung my towel up, and turned to walk in to the closet to pick out some clothes. As I did so, I heard Finn ask M. "Daddy, why does Mommy's butt shake up and down when she walks?"

And then I wondered at what age one might consider instituting a "no nudity" rule around one's kids.