Bellybuttons

Today I found myself learning something new about mothering. I have been blessed with a husband who showers the little ones for me. This is an immense blessing as you can imagine. Because having to keep up with 5 children's showers is not an easy task. At about 4 years old we begin teaching them to shower on their own. I soap up their hair and lather them up real good and close the curtain. They rinse, while I instruct them on where to rub the soap off. After they have let the water run down their belly enough, patted their underarms a couple of times, and tried to clean the important parts of ones body we proceed by putting conditioner on the girls, or just turning the water off for the boys. By 6 years old, it's time to let them do it on their own all the time.
We've learned a few things by now about this. First, 2 minute showers aren't real good showers.(If you know what I mean.) Second, if you start noticing that the shampoo is almost gone and you can't keep it in stock long enough before it's time to buy some more than you better check how the 6 yr. old is using it. Ours happened to be pouring it on his head in excessive amounts until we put a serious warning out. We literally had to show him that for the amount of hair he has on his head he didn't need more than a little bit more than a quarter size amount. The shampoo is lasting a little longer now.
Here's where my lesson on mothering comes in. I've been kind of teasing the 9yr. old on his belly going soft on account of a little too many chips at lunch time. I got to looking at his belly and noticed his bellybutton. It was dirty. It was old dirt. The kind that has been tucked in while the suds stayed out. I proceeded to get some cotton swabs soaked in alcohol to swab the dirt off. You would have thought I was operating on him. He does have a clean bellybutton now. But not before they all lined up wanting their bellybuttons to be cleaned too. With all the other things to take into account about taking care of children, I guess bellybuttons got left out.