I don't remember exactly when my older
son became not just sweaty and little boy smelly but actually stinky.
Maybe I noticed when he climbed into the car after school and
happened to have had P.E. that afternoon, last period. Or perhaps it
was when he and a band of boys got into the car after flag football
practice, and I could barely breathe. I think, though, that I only
realized that the kid needed to start wearing deodorant when we were
out running errands in the middle of the day, and the only activity
he'd had prior was a thumb work-out on his Gameboy. The smell was
pungent, and it wasn't lavender.
Because, really, my son was only a
little boy, and the idea that the grassy smell of boyhood was turning
into something slightly sour, not a little rank, was shocking to me.
It wasn't so much the smell but rather the sudden turn in things –
the startling fact that my son was becoming an adolescent and that it
appeared to be happening overnight. I wasn't unprepared for this
natural course of events as much as I was surprised that it was
actually going to happen. I compared it to the feeling one has
looking up into the rearview mirror of the car and seeing a deep
crevice between one's eyebrows that had not existed before that
moment.
The onset of puberty appeared to happen
just like that, in a car, running errands, one of those errands
becoming a stop at a drugstore to purchase some deodorant for the
boy. Surprisingly, telling my son that he smelled bad, which meant
that he was growing up, becoming a man, was not a sickening blow to
his self-esteem. He was still a little boy in many ways, and there
was a certain cachet to smelling bad. Really, the acquisition of the
first deodorant was something exciting – he was thrilled when I
handed it to him and told him that he should use it every day, before
putting your shirt on. It wasn't until a few years had passed and
adolescence had entered in every other way, bringing new concern for
his appearance, that wearing deodorant became a habit for him and not
something that I had to tell him to do.
My younger son turned ten in May and
just the other day, I leaned over his shoulder to help him with some
homework and had to turn my head and hold my breath. I haven't
checked in the mirror lately, but I imagine some new wrinkles have
appeared where none were yesterday, too.
In conjunction with BlogHer, I'm
writing this post to let you all know about a cool campaign that
Unilever, the leading manufacturer of deodorant and antiperspirants
and the maker of Degree® Men, Degree® Women, Degree® Girl, Dove®
and Suave® is leading called Don’t Fret The Sweat. The campaign
wants to ensure that parents and kids “remain cool, calm and
confident throughout the day.” That's why they have a Facebook page, of course, a great resource of tips, tools and real-life
stories about how parents are transitioning their tweens into
confident and self-reliant teens.
To be honest, I raised my eyebrows at
another Facebook campaign, but when I surfed around
Don't Fret The Sweat Facebook page,
I found it to be really useful. I hesitate to give products with a
lot of chemicals to my children and learned a bit about the
difference between deodorant and antiperspirants on the site, using
the Product Matchmaker. The panel of experts and community partners
answer questions and de-mystify some of the more aggravating issues
of tweendom and adolescence.
Let's face it – we contemplate our
own aging with a bit of shock and a little denial. I have found my
reactions to my own sons' aging and growing up to be a little
shocking, too. Sometimes I'm not sure that I'll know how best to
ensure that they're confident about themselves, comfortable in their
own bodies and able to deal with the stresses of adolescence. It's
nice to get a little help.
In conjunction with the Don’t Fret
The Sweat campaign, I am giving away a $100
VISA card and a Don’t Fret The Sweat gift pack. If you'd
like a chance to win, leave me a comment telling me whether you're
prepared or not for your child's adolescence. Be honest – you can
also let me know how many wrinkles you have!
There are more chances to win at BlogHer. Visit the BlogHer Prizes & Promotions section
The sweepstakes runs from October 4th through November 4th.
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry
methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment
on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on
this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about
an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be
selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
There are more chances to win at BlogHer. Visit the BlogHer Prizes & Promotions section
The sweepstakes runs from October 4th through November 4th.
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry
methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment
on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on
this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about
an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be
selected.
The Official Rules are available here.