The steam from the bath billowed out of the open bathroom door, fogging up the hallway. "Ava, time to get out of the bath!" I called out to my 10-year-old daughter.
"Coming, old lady!" she yelled back, causing me to roll my eyes. I walked over to the door and knocked. "Ava, I'm not old and I'm definitely not wrinkly. Now come on, out you get."
The door opened and Ava stepped out, still naked and dripping wet. She hadn't realized that my friend, Sarah, was in the living room, which was connected to the bathroom. I quickly grabbed a towel and tried to cover her up, but it was too late. Sarah had already seen her.
"Well, well, well," Sarah said, trying to make light of the situation. "Looks like someone's been skipping bath time!"
I blushed, embarrassed. "At least my kid doesn't have a beer belly!" I shot back.
Sarah laughed. "Ava, do you know what a beer belly is?"
Ava shook her head. "Nope."
"It's when someone has a big belly from drinking too much beer," Sarah explained.
Ava looked down at her flat stomach and then back up at Sarah. "Ew, gross!" she exclaimed, before running back into the bathroom and closing the door.
Sarah and I laughed, the tension from the awkward situation now gone. "She's growing up so fast," I said, reflecting on how quickly time was passing.
Sarah nodded. "You're going to have to start having 'the talk' with her soon."
I sighed. "I know. I just don't know how to bring it up."
"I can help," Sarah offered.
"No, I can handle it," I said, determined. "I just need to start setting boundaries with her now that she's getting older."
Sarah and I continued to talk and laugh, the sound of the bath water running in the background. It was nice to have a break from the chaos of motherhood, even if it was just for a little while.
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