bath time with cooper

I must preface this by explaining that a few weeks ago, Cooper got a "temporary" tattoo.  It took FOREVER to get rid of.  We washed and washed and still it would not come off.  Finally last week, Brent scrubbed and scrubbed and got most of it off.  Cooper was not pleased.  Since then, he's been asking where his tattoo is.

Tonight on the way up to the bath, Cooper began asking again.

"Where's my tattoo Mommy?  It's in the bath?"

"No Cooper, it's gone."

"Gone where Mommy?  In the bath?"

How to explain such a thing to a two year old?  I just kept repeating, "it's gone," hoping that he'd accept it and move on.

When we got to the tub, he noticed that some beads from Mercedes' face wash were left in the tub.

"Wutz zat, Mommy?  Wutz zat?"

I replied that it was simply some soap left in the tub from Mercedes' bath earlier that day.  Apparently he wasn't happy with my simple answer, and continued (in two year old fashion) to repeat his question; over and over and over.

Once he was sitting in the tub full of water, he was not comfortable with the various "company" in the tub.  He pointed to each little blue bead.  I think that since he's paranoid about bugs, spiders, and flies, he was worried that there might be insects taking a bath with him.  

He then pointed to a long blonde strand of hair on the side of the tub (I know- it sounds gross, but Mercedes had just taken a bath a while earlier and didn't rinse out the tub), and asked again,

"Wutz zat, Mommy?  Wutz zat?"

"That's just a piece of Mercedes' hair."

"Oh, that's Mercedes' hair?"

And then, pointing to a very short piece of hair floating in the water, "Wutz zat Mommy?  Wutz zat?"

"That's a piece of Cooper hair."

"Oh, that's mine?  From my head?"  And then anxiously, "put it back, Mommy!  Put it back!"

"I can't put it back.  It's okay, you'll grow new hair."

He eventually accepted that I would not be putting the stray strand of hair back into his head, but was no longer willing to sit the the bath water filled with various unwelcome guests.  I hurriedly washed and rinsed him while he stood and then hurried him out of the tub and onto the bath mat.  Once he was out I unplugged the drain.

Pointing to the drain, "Wutz zat, Mommy?  Wutz zat?"

"That's the drain."

"The water's going down the drain?"

"Yes."

"Put it back, Mommy!  Put it back!"

I am seriously starting to wonder if this kid has some anxiety issues.  Hopefully it's just a two-year-old phase, and he will soon lose his paranoia for insects, dirt, lightning/thunder and separation (from Mommy, Mercedes, Lincoln, tattoos and water).