When do they learn to wipe better? So annoying!

[Anonymous]

This reminds me of this conversation that went around the internet a few years ago about how some subset of grown men didn't wipe their butts, or barely wiped their butts, because they consider anything butt-related "gay" and rampant homophobia leads them to think that if they actually properly clean their own butts, it means they are gay or something? I think I heard about it on the podcast You're Wrong About maybe? But if you want to google the phrase "why don't adult men wipe their butts" you will find it was a whole thing (or if you don't want to do that to your google history, you can just take my word for it!).

Anyway, given that this kid is 10 and there may actually be some social factors at play here, OP... what is your DH's involvement in this issue? Sadly, your son may be associating proper hygiene with "mom" and being feminine. If you are actually watching him wipe, he may be associating this with an emasculating activity. I know you mean well, but kids this age are very impressionable on these issues.

My suggestion: talk to your DH about it, and then you back waaaaaay off and let him handle it. Your son needs to know that being a functional adult man means being able to properly clean his body, and that message is probably best coming from a man, sadly.