Next thing you know, I'll start reading the Tao of Pooh.

The dajamou, who is four and a half years old, invariably selects half of her library books from the bin of board books aimed at the Diapers and Teething Toys set. Currently we have a Blue's Clues board book about getting ready for bed, and each time she picks it out, I have to aside my rage at how this sets up an impossible vision of the ideal bedtime routine in any parent's head who reads it.

But the other day, I was reading the page in which Steve says "That's right! The next step in getting ready for bed is washing our face! Make sure you scrub well, Blue, and don't forget to wash behind your ears." OK, first of all? Who washes behind their ears at the sink? What a mess.

But then Steve goes on to say "Doesn't that feel refreshing to have a nice clean face?" And I kept on reading, but half my mind was going, "Yeah, it really kinda does." I'd gotten out of the habit when my acne died down to a low roar, because I'm inherently lazy and also I stay up too late and then want to get to bed quickly. But after reading the Blue's Clues book, I decided to start washing my face again. And you know what? It's refreshing.

Hey, I gotta take my life's lessons wherever I can get 'em.