Kids' stinky feet driving you out of the house? How do you break the news without sending their self esteem plummeting? Pretend you don't know what it is? Stock the bathroom with foot odor products? Ignore it and hope they'll figure it out really, really soon? Here are some techniques I've used on my kids and grandkids with some success. Meanwhile, hold your nose and open some windows. Things could get ugly before you find a solution.
Pretend you don't know where the smell is coming from.
They might get the hint if you start searching the house for the mysterious odor. Maybe the trash needs to go out. You could ask them to do that. There are some dishes in the sink. Maybe if they do those, the smell will be taken care of. Is there some laundry that needs doing? You get the idea. Washing your feet is a whole lot easier than doing all the housework.
Take a preliminary strike against kids' foot odor.
One of the best ways to insure your kids don't have stinky feet is to train them young. Have a daily bath-time. Explain to them the importance of wearing socks. Show them how to wear and care for their shoes. Keep foot care products on hand. Make using them part of their daily hygiene routine from an early age.
Have a smelly feet heart to heart.
Some kids do respond to honesty. Why not sit down and have a talk about foot odor? Be gentle. Explain that it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Tell them everyone has smelly feet from time to time. The thing is, you'll never know with most people, because they know what to do about it. Then tell them what they can do to rid themselves of foot odor.
Go shoe and sock shopping with an odor fighting twist.
Got a teen with scary foot odor? They might not appreciate hearing about it from you. What most of them do like is shopping, though. Why not hit the stores for some new shoes and socks? While you're at it, buy some foot odor inserts or deodorant spray to keep those new shoes smelling nice and lasting longer.
Let their friends break the bad news.
You could just ignore your kids' foot odor issues. Keep helpful solutions on hand, but say nothing. Don't worry. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Part of that village is their peers. Make no mistake, their friends will say something about those smelly feet at the next sleepover. When they do, you'll have all the supplies on hand they need to take care of the problem.
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5 reasons shame-based punishments are ineffective
5 smart parenting tips from my dad
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