Saturday, July 28, 2007

Big stinker

Sister had her last day of week-long sleepaway camp yesterday. I was so excited to pick her up. While I'm used to her being away at her dad's for a few days at a time and even on longer vacations with him occasionally, it just felt different to have her be gone on her own big girl adventure all by herself.

When I walked in, Sister ran right up to me with her face all lit up which is a lovely sight for a mama. Bean and I grabbed her into a big group hug and my next thought after the warm fuzzies was, "Damn, this child's head stinks!" Turns out Sister brushed her teeth only once while she was gone and didn't wash her hair at all, so it's no wonder her entire head was enveloped in a cloud of funk you could almost see. I've gotta get that girl a book on personal hygiene soon or something. I don't want classmates making fun of her for being stinky and unkempt--'cause don't you remember the weird kid in your class who smelled bad and everyone made fun of?--but the more I say anything about the subject, the more I get the feeling she's deliberately "forgetting" to keep herself clean so that she can have some form of control over things.

4 comments:

Mama D said...

That seems to be a phase they all go through. I don't know. Maybe her own special hygiene products would motivate her or something... I don't know.

Joan said...

My son went ahead to camp near Hendersonville after 5th grade. I packed all these clothes. He ended up wearing one outfit and his bathing suit. 'Glad she's back safe.

Angel said...

oh man...the stinky kid in class...my 12 yr old HATES to bathe....WHY? Sometimes I can walk into a room and SMELL him before I SEE him...now that's bad.

Maybe get her some girlie bubbly stuff, ya know?

devilishsouthernbelle.net said...

It's still a struggle sometimes to get my 13 y.o. to properly clean himself. Sure, he'll shower or bathe, but he doesn't make sure he gets his hair really clean and good-smelling. I don't want other kids making fun of him, either... that's a stigma they never seem to be able to get rid of. But man, I get so tired of pushing him to do it right. I think when he gets really, really interested in girls, he'll do it on his own. My oldest does.