Don't Fret The Sweat

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.



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