Bear's Bathroom and the Clawfoot Tub Confession

I had to confess something to the Bear, because it was the right thing to do. I told a Big Fat Lie to him and kept it going for almost two years.

I know.

Mother of the Year.  

It's about his tub.  You guys, I really wanted a clawfoot tub in the house.  It's just so vintage and charming and I love them. Since I have a bad back and I'm clumsy, the tub couldn't go in my bathroom, I'd end up on the floor trying to get out of the thing for sure. Our oldest son flat out refused to bathe in a clawfoot tub being all of 6'2 and kind of grown and manly and all. That left Bear no option. He had to have the clawfoot tub. He was 8 at the time and really didn't seem to care about design decisions too much. Score!

So herein lies the problem. I didn't buy a new clawfoot tub, it was OLD and GROSS.  Big time old and gross, like from a horror movie gross. A friend of mine was demolishing his old abandoned apartment building and offered to sell me a tub out of it. Unfortunately, Bear was with me when I went to see it.  He was understandably horrified and flat out refused to consider it.  Actually, I was a little horrified too, but I could see the good bones. Good bones matter! Eight year olds cannot see bones. They can see black crud. He didn't care that I'd gone to church half my life next door and our puppet ministry team used to have practice in the apartment where the tub was. He didn't see how awesome it would be to preserve something from Mom's past and recycle instead of buying new.  I wish I had a 'Before' picture but it looked a lot like this one:

Photo from Bathrenovationhq.com

So we left and Bear said, 'I'm NOT taking a bath in that tub EVER.' I secretly paid my friend for the tub and hoped for the best. I'd never had a tub refinished before so I had no idea what I was in for. Then the lie began.

'NOOOO, of course I'd never buy that disgusting tub for you, honey bun! Only a new tub for you!'

I felt pretty guilty about it but I'm pretty sure my Mom used to occasionally lie to me, so it's a generational thing.

I just blamed lying to my child on my mother? I really can't recall any specific lie that she told me. I think I've just thrown my morals out the window for a clawfoot tub...

I was thrilled when I found a guy about an hour away to refinish the tub. He came and picked it up, reglazed it and I even got to match the outside paint color to the bathroom cabinet color.  He mixed some sort of epoxy with regular Sherwin Williams paint. I really like how it turned out. I was concerned that it would chip (he even left me some extra paint - that I've already misplaced), so far after almost two years, there's a couple of tiny chips but nothing that bothers me. The price was reasonable and after pricing new tubs that are the same size/look, we saved a couple hundred dollars going this route, plus we were able to customize the color. Someone had tried to convince me that the old timey clawfoot tubs wouldn't hold heat and Bear would hate it, but we've not had that problem. Another bonus, it's surprisingly easier to clean than my other tubs because soap doesn't seem to leave a film on it like a regular tub.

He was suspicious at first though.  'Are you SURE this isn't that nasty tub from that house?'

'Baby, absolutely not. No, siree. Brand new.'

I know, I'm horrible. I confess, my mother did not make me say this.

Thankfully he also likes vintage looking things like me (unless they're gross). He liked that the tub was deep and he had a handheld shower, exposed plumbing and that his bathroom was a little different.

Bear's closet door.

Bear was born on the 13th, so it's our lucky number...

So, if you're wondering about Bear's reaction to finding out the truth, he was none too happy.  He was NEVER...BATHING...AGAIN. 

And then....he magically forgot.

I felt SO relieved to get that off my shoulders. Shew.

My version of necessities for a clawfoot tub.  Bear in no way approved this message. Have you guys tried those LUSH bath bombs???? Wowsa. Yes.

So I feel extra guilty leaving the story here, where the moral is recycle things from your past and lie to your children, so I must say, recycle but don't lie to your children.

Or blame it on your mother.

But if you need to put a gross clawfoot tub in their bathroom, I totally understand.

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