Unwashed kid in my son class

[Anonymous]

Ds is four years old and in daycare/preschool. He has complained about the stinky kid in his class the past 4 weeks. How to resolve this issue without making a big stink at school? Dh just text ,DS was crying at drop off because he doesn't want to sit next to the kid, he has been complaining about. What will you do in this situation?

[Anonymous]

Welcome to life.

[Anonymous]

I would teach my kid he doesn't get to control other people.

[Anonymous]

What is your personal assessment, OP? Does this child smell? I wouldn't rely on a 4 year old to tell me if it was night or day

[Anonymous]

Teacher should rotate seating arrangements so that all kids sit by all other kids. It isn't fair for a 4 yo to have to sit by the unclean kid every single day.

And I get life isn't fair, but in this situation, at this age, I think the burden should be shared.

[Anonymous]

Does the kid actually smell? Have you confirmed this at pickup/drop off? Seems like there are two options - either this kid is not well cared for at home, or your son is being dramatic.

If it's the dramatic option, I'd go with a "respecting our differences" vibe - "hmm, I'm sorry you don't like the way Larlo smells. People are different. But we need to be kind to everyone." And give the teacher a heads up so they can intervene if your kid starts being rude about it.

If the kid is not well cared for, and is actually stinky, teach your kid some empathy. "Maybe his parents are too busy to give him a bath. That's so sad." "Maybe his house doesn't have any soap. That must be really hard for him." Then - "maybe he could use a friend. Maybe you could share your trucks with him?" Simultaneously, maybe reach out to the teacher to see what's going on. Maybe there's a way you can help this family?

[Anonymous]

I would schedule a conversation with the teacher, and report what your son tells you in a non-judgemental way.

[Anonymous]

Teach your child to be kind.
Try to secretly check out the kid before talking to the teacher.

[Anonymous]

If you insist on addressing this (as others have said, you're going off of the word of a very young child), I'd make a call to the teacher and discuss it in as light hearted manner as you can. I would not make any assumptions, just let the teacher know what your DS said and that you realize it could mean many things so you wanted to reach out and see if there was a solution to the issue.

OP, I have a super sensitive nose and can smell what people have eaten on their breath, the rubber smell of some new tennis shoes gives me a headache and don't even get me started on heavy perfume.

It's my nose and my sense of smell and for the most part (other than getting farther away from the source if I'm able), I've had to learn to deal with it. If this child does, for some reason, smell badly, your son may just have to learn to deal with it.

[Anonymous]

These are terrible responses. How many of you volunteer to sit next to the smelly coworker?

I would talk to the teacher. You can’t control other people but you can control YOU. Your son should easily be able to change seats. After the teacher gets a few complaints, I bet she will address it with the parents. This is an issue that’s only going to get worse as the boy grows up.

[Anonymous]

omg, you have a very sensitive kid OP. what a snowflake

[Anonymous]

As a teacher, sorry but the last thing on my list of concerns is who “has to” sit next to a child who may or may not have a strong odor.
You have no idea if this child actually has a strong smell and if they do, the circumstances around it. If it is actually an issue, I’m sure the teacher is aware and is doing what they can to help the child/family.
Maybe try teaching and modeling some empathy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These are terrible responses. How many of you volunteer to sit next to the smelly coworker?

I would talk to the teacher. You can’t control other people but you can control YOU. Your son should easily be able to change seats. After the teacher gets a few complaints, I bet she will address it with the parents. This is an issue that’s only going to get worse as the boy grows up.

There were kids in my high school that were smelly. There’s not much you can do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These are terrible responses. How many of you volunteer to sit next to the smelly coworker?

I would talk to the teacher. You can’t control other people but you can control YOU. Your son should easily be able to change seats. After the teacher gets a few complaints, I bet she will address it with the parents. This is an issue that’s only going to get worse as the boy grows up.

+1

I grew up with a stinky kid in elementary. Not sure why it was never dealt with, but kids are mean.

If the problem is not solvable then change up seating every week. One kid should not bear the burden all year long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These are terrible responses. How many of you volunteer to sit next to the smelly coworker?

I would talk to the teacher. You can’t control other people but you can control YOU. Your son should easily be able to change seats. After the teacher gets a few complaints, I bet she will address it with the parents. This is an issue that’s only going to get worse as the boy grows up.

There were kids in my high school that were smelly. There’s not much you can do.

We are talking pre-school here, not high school. Totally different.