While many girls want to learn more about personal hygiene and other appearance-related information, boys can be staggeringly indifferent to their personal hygiene. This lack of hygiene care can range from simply forgetful neglect to defiant negligence on the part of a teen boy. Depending on which your son is dealing with, there will be different approaches needed.
Explain Why They Need To Pay Special Attention To Hygiene
It may seem like a no-brainer to a healthy adult, but many boys simply do not understand what all the fuss is about when it comes to personal hygiene. You will need to sit down and cover why he should care about his personal hygiene. Some talking points you can use depending on what areas his personal hygiene is lacking:
Dental – If your son’s dental hygiene is lacking, you may want to institute a family teeth brushing time if you don’t want to directly address the issue. However, it is important to open the conversation on exactly why your son sound bother to brush and floss.
Acne – Teenagers can be incredibly sensitive about their acne, so you will want to approach this topic carefully. Ask them what they are currently doing to take care of their acne and from that point, talk to them about products, consistency, and the source of most kinds of acne.
Body odor – It can be hard to notice personal body odor when it surrounds you, so while your boy’s body odor may be noticeable to you, it may not be to him. Try not to focus on the smell but instead, explain to your son that he needs to spend a bit more time taking care of his body. Talk to him about the different products he may need and take him with you buy the products.
Clothes – Should the body odor become neglected, your son’s clothes may not be in the best condition. Some of this may be due to a lack of knowledge. Teach your son how to do his own laundry and use the time to also talk about how often clothes should be washed to prevent hygiene issues.
Cover Development-Appropriate Hygiene
Depending on the age of your son, you will need to have different hygiene discussions. Many parents worry about when they should discuss deodorant, shaving, acne, and other hygiene issues. However, the best way to determine when to talk to your son about the different hygiene issues is when he is the right age for it. That way he does not feel overwhelmed or intimidated by future developments.
Future hygiene shouldn’t be completely neglected. You can briefly mention them as you cover other age-appropriate hygiene issues, but they do not need to be the focus of your talk about personal hygiene.
What To Do If Your Teen Doesn’t Care About Hygiene
There are levels of indifference to personal hygiene but if your son crosses into defiance concerning his hygiene, it can be a symptom of a larger problem. If there are other issues, such as anger management, failure to thrive in school, and other issues, then you may need more help. Sundance Canyon Academy is a residential treatment center which can help troubled teen boys back onto the right track. Feel free to contact us for information on our program and what we can do for your son.