If you find yourself searching for the source of an odd smell in your house, turn to your kid! It’s time for healthy self-care tips for tweens!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tom’s of Maine for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
What is that smell? I open the refrigerator again, look through all the vegetables, you know, the ones I bought with the best of intentions. They are still crispy and fresh – nothing dying in here.
I can’t put my finger on it, but something around here smells. I check the kitchen sink and run the disposal, just for good measure. Nope, that wasn’t it. Where ever I turn, there’s that smell. It’s new, it’s different and not something pleasant. It is driving me nuts.
As I am investigating the source of the smell, our ten-year old is following me around, like a puppy dog. He has a question about his homework, but I am unable to focus on common-core-anything until I figure out WHERE THIS SMELL IS COMING FROM. “Mom, mom… mom? Can you PLEASE just help me real quick – and then you can go back to doing whatever it is you are doing?”
OK, I guess my child deserves my attention more than this stinky smell. It’s been a long day already for all of us. We spent the better part of the day driving to and from the local soccer field six times because our big boy had a soccer tournament. They didn’t win, but he sure ran his heart out and he played really hard.
We celebrated his effort with a quick dinner at his favorite restaurant before we headed home to do homework. I turn around to face him… and THAT’s when it hits me!
The pungent smell strikes my nose and I fear it has singed my nose hair. “KID?! Did you SHOWER when you got home?” All of a sudden the past 10 years of my life flash before me.
It seems like just yesterday that we brought home our first-born son. He was a delightful 9 lbs 1 oz bundle of dark hair, the cutest nose and the deepest dark blue eyes. I found myself getting lost in his features as we snuggled, nursed and got to know each other.
I would smell his clothes, washed in the latest laundry approved for babies, even his diapers (the unused ones) had a sweet smell. The way his hair smelled after his evening bath and his little sweaty toes after a long day of wearing socks… every mom knows the smells of her child.
We can pick our kids out of a line-up based on their smell alone… until they become tweens and play three soccer games in a day.
WOW – reality just hit me upside the head! My kid is entering boy-man-hood and I am ill-prepared!
Well, time to educate our young man about self-care. Brushing and flossing his teeth is no longer sufficient in keeping him clean enough by most social standards.
New guidelines have to be implemented, immediately. “Son, the time has come for you to step up your daily self-care regimen. I do not want you known as “stinky boy” in school. I want you known for your quick wit, kind heart and good personality – not your stench.”
For great tips from another boy-mom, check out this post on teaching boys about personal hygiene.
Click to print!
Healthy self-care regiment for tween boys:
Morning:
- Brush and floss teeth
- Comb and style hair
- Apply Wicket Cool!™ deodorant
- Get dressed (remember clean underwear and socks)
After school:
- Shower (WITH soap)
- Wash hair (WITH shampoo)
- Comb and style hair
- Apply Wicket Cool!™ deodorant (if you have soccer)
- Get dressed (remember clean underwear and socks)
Before bed:
- Shower (WITH soap), if you played soccer
- Wash hair (WITH shampoo), if you played soccer
- Brush and floss teeth
- Put on PJs
- Go to the bathroom one last time
I recently made the switch myself to a natural (non-aluminum) deodorant, so when it came time to finding something for our son, the choice was clear, he needed a natural product too.
I want him to have odor-protection (obviously), but wetness protection is not as important. Tom’s of Maine has an awesome deodorant for boys and girls: Wicket Cool!™.
The deodorant provides 24-hour odor protection and it is free of aluminum, parabens and artificial fragrances.
I RUN to Target the very next day (and who doesn’t mind a quick trip to Target?!) – and browse through their Tom’s of Maine section. The Tom’s of Maine® products there are good for the planet and are Made to Matter®, I feel confident that I am offering our son the best solution to his “stinky issue.” I bought two of their deodorants, in a desperate move to REALLY encourage him to use them!
Wow, no one ever said that parenting was going to be easy. Just as you are settled into a groove and things are chugging along peacefully, you are reminded that the kids are growing – every single day… and soon your routine will change, once again.
Hopefully, we can take a deep breath now (and not get knocked out by a stinky smell) – and enjoy this next phase of our big boy’s life – the tweens! Thankfully we can rest assured, knowing we have Tom’s of Maine® in our corner of the ring – helping us keep our house stink-free and our son free of artificial ingredients. Wish us luck!