If you happen to have three boys running to and fro and into and out of the shower and tub, sooner or later you have to come up with some Towel Tricks. Not the kind of tricks that make them stand and watch you in amazement and wonder, "How'd she do that?" but the kind where they end up keeping the bathroom looking (halfway) decent without even knowing it.
I've always been of the opinion that if a kid is able to get a toy out, he's able to put it back. If he's able to pull a book out of the bookshelf, he's able to put it back. If he's able to color an amazing picture with every crayon in the box, he's able to put them all back when he's done. If he's able to take his clothes off, he's able to put them in the laundry. If he's able to lift up the toilet seat, he's able to put it back down. And, if he's able to use a towel after his bath, he should be able to hang it back up. It's that oh-so-necessary balance in life.
Now, trying to get a boy to hang a towel on a towel bar that's high overhead is enough to send him to the floor in a heap along with the towel. Hanging the towel has to be boy-friendly--as easy for him as stepping out of the shower. So, here are my Towel Tricks (in a very particular order):
Trick #1--Buy dark-colored towels! I say go brown, because any other color will be brown before long, anyway. (A boy's hands are never really that clean after he washes them!)
Trick #2--Get rid of the towel bar!! A row of hooks is so much better.
Trick #3--Pick a button that will guide your machine in making the perfect size button hole (love, love that feature on my sewing machine), and choose a thread to match your towels.
Trick #4--Hang the new towels by their buttonholes on the new hooks in the bathroom, and put a stool right underneath for boys to stand on.
Trick #5--Tell him it's a trick!! Boys love tricks. Even more, boys love doing tricks.
Then, be ready to stand there in amazement, saying to your Towel Trick Masters, "How'd you do that?"
