June 27 Photo: Bathroom

I grew up in a house with one bathroom (and an older sister). So personal space (and time) in the bathroom was always at a premium. When I got my first apartment on my own, having my own bathroom was one of the most satisfying rewards of being independent. And when I got married, one of the things I most appreciated about my new husband and my new house was that I got my very own bathroom.

And then I had kids.

And since my bathroom happens to be the one with the bathtub, it also happens to now be the kids’ bathroom as well as mine. And that’s fine. Honestly, I find it kind of fun that my shower has an Elmo faucet cover, and that I usually have to fish a few rubber duckies and a truck or two out of the tub before my morning shower. But I’m also very glad that I still have my own personal “girly corner” that is mine, all mine.

My girly corner is full of things that remind me that I’m not just a tired mom who hasn’t had the chance to wash my hair in two days and who smells like stale formula and Desitin. My girly corner is a promise that there can still be a hot, relaxing bubble bath scented of raspberries or a cool, refreshing tub scented of spearmint after the kids go to bed at the end of a long day. I have mousse and hairspray and pomade for those wonderful evenings when we get a babysitter who starts duty an hour before we’re due to leave so I can actually style my hair. I have a bottle or two of perfume that make me feel like a sexy woman and a loved wife and not just a child-herder.

My bathroom may no longer be completely my own, but it is still my haven when I need it to be. My girly corner tells me so.