I need help! I'm at my wits end with my 10 year old and his personal hygiene.
Every day is a battle of explaining exactly how he should be washing and brushing his teeth. He comes down on a morning and says he's clean but his hairline (he's quite long hair) is so obviously dry as a bone. You can see the dirt behind his ears, the plaque on his teeth.
I've tried the whole taking him upstairs and doing it for him, the whole bathing him thing etc. My husband and I are so scared that he's at too late an age to do this though because it's embarrassing to him and he'll hate our guts. We just don't know how to approach this. Every time we explain to him how he should be cleaning he just looks at us with dead eyes.
He doesn't wipe properly when he goes for a poo. He often 'forgets' to flush and you see one lonely square of toilet roll floating on top of a steaming turd. His boxers are always stained. Last night he got a bath and didn't pull the plug out are there were actual bits of poo in the water.
We need advice. He starts high school next September and are so worried for him.
4 Replies
If there's no medical or behavioral issues (eg. Bowel problems, autism etc - though I would definitely look into this) then I'd start with the toileting issues. Make him scrub his dirty boxers, haul his arse back up to the loo to flush and clean it and maybe revisit wiping techniques or get him to use wet wipes if he'd prefer.
You could try a check list on the the bathroom door and just keep drumming it into his head.
YOU NEED TO BE CLEAN lol.
There will come a time soon where he'll start getting self conscious about his hygiene (probably when puberty hits and he starts noticing girls or boys - whichever way he's inclined lol)
Is there more to this kid? My 11yo can be lazy, but not like that. I would either be incredible strict with routine, and make him do the work with dirty laundry. STOP babying him. If has more going on seek professional support. Poor hygiene will not only isolate him in school but will limit opportunities for a life time
I would absolutely seek a medical opinion! We had similiar problems with my daughter when she was much younger (not dead eye stare but the mess) & there were underlying kidney/bowel issues. We have daily arguments with our 12yr old boy over teeth & hair washing, but he does it eventually! Not happily but it gets done. Follow your instincts mumma 😊 A dr appt can't hurt if you are worried there is more than normal lazy pubescent boy going on. Xx
Omg, poor woman. Basically, if he is 'normal', then let his peers sort him out at school. Cruel, it might be but if at 10, you still have to remind him to bathe, brush teeth and clean himself, that is not cool. If he has an intellectual impairment, then maybe speak with his teacher so they can revisit the hygiene thing. .