‘It irritates me immensely that my son neglects himself’

“Don’t get me wrong: I love my son dearly,” Diana begins her blog. ‘But it irritates me immensely that he cares little about his personal care. He showers for half an hour, but after that he doesn’t smell any fresher than when he stood under it. In his world soap, shampoo and deodorant hardly exist, if at all. ‘

Fat (dirty)

Comb his hair neatly? A waste of time, says Diana. ‘According to my son, then. His hair is incredibly greasy. Just like he thinks it’s a waste of time to bring dirty glasses down from his room. Or refuses to wear a jacket when it is two degrees outside. ‘

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Of course her son also does plenty of things that she is proud of. ‘He’s a great brother and adapts easily when the schedule changes. But I really don’t understand some of his ways. ‘

Candle

By way of comparison: when Diana was an adolescent herself, she really wanted to take a good shower. “I may have had a fight with my parents, but at least I smelled nice perfume and didn’t go out without a coat.”

Diana knows that other mothers with a child nearing puberty feel the same way. “They wonder what the hell happened to their sweet-smelling little child.” However, her conclusion is that as a parent there is little you can do about it. ‘What can I do? I think I should just light a candle and hope that he uses the shampoo more often… ‘