I can still remember that day in junior high when I realized that I smelled. I was wearing my rainbow-striped sweater and some hot pink cords that I thought were so cool. I was feeling pretty good actually. But as the day wore on, I kept smelling a faint hint of – oh, I’m not sure, onion maybe. Sorry, I don’t know how else to describe it. Whatever the smell was, it wasn’t pleasant, and it seemed to be following me everywhere.
A few friends whispered and wrinkled their noses in my presence. That was the final tip off. They thought I was the source of the lingering stink. At first, I thought they were mistaken. It wasn’t me. It couldn’t be me. But it was. I’d officially reached the day in which using deodorant was mandatory.
Hygiene can be a tricky topic for kids. When they are really little, you often struggle to get them to take a bath, or you’re cajoling them into letting you wash their favorite T-shirt that’s in desperate need of some suds. When they are older, it’s a way trickier conversation to tell your teen he or she has B.O. or to explain how hair growth and menstruation factor into the cleanliness equation.
But fear not, dear parents. In this issue of Metro Parent, we offer 11 tips to teach your kids hygiene. It covers everything from bathing routines to bad breath to lice and acne advice.
Still have some questions on kids and hygiene? Don’t forget that your child’s doctor is a great source. He or she can even be a support to you in broaching the topic with your child. Lucky for you, we’ve got a list of some of the top kids doctor in the area – according to you – with our 2016 Mom-Approved Docs list.
And read about how the health care system is getting modernized with digital record keeping, e-communication and e-visits to your child’s pediatrician. It’s a bold new world before us that could make being a patient – and a parent – a bit easier. Too bad there’s no app or portal for telling your child they stink. Or a time machine, so you can go back to 1985 and remember to put on some deodorant under that rad rainbow-striped sweater.
