Do you make your kid take showers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends on the age. Younger elementary no, older yes.

This. My older elementary kids are starting to get stinky.

[Anonymous]

Yes, though if they had long hair I might have let them just rinse their body if they hadn't been particularly active that day.

They are both now teens who shower as needed, which means at least once a day, more if exercise is involved. I'm glad we instilled this before they reached this age. It also made talking about other hygiene things, like using face wash and deodorant, easier because we just approached it matter of factly when needed. I hear some parents of other teens tip toeing around the issue because they don't want their teens to feel bad being told that they stink.

[Anonymous]

My 7 yo showers like 2-3 times a week which usually coincide with sports days. On days he doesn't shower, he still wipes down key areas with soap/washcloth.

In the summer, he showers more because of sunscreen, sweat, pool, etc.

[Anonymous]

I don’t prompt my kids to shower - 15 year old showers at least once a day, and twice on am sports practice days, and the 11 year old showers once a day. They are both swimmers and play other sports, so they are used to showering a lot and they feel icky without at least one shower a day. This was their biggest gripe about summer camp - infrequent showers.

I notice that their friends often skip showers in the 7-12 age group, when they are old enough to bathe on their own, but not yet teens who are self conscious about body odor. Hopefully those kids shower more as teens. I know a few who still don’t take showers regularly as teens and trust me, their classmates notice. Try to get them showering daily or at least 5 times a week before puberty hits.

[Anonymous]

hey have to shower at least every other night, regardless, but if they've been active they have to take a shower that night.

[Anonymous]

Yes almost every day. 5 a week for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes- my 10 year old can do it in literally 3 minutes.

I am so jealous. A big part of the struggle with showers for my 8 year old is her inability to shower quickly when it is called for. Even if I wash her hair for her to speed things along, she will space out while washing her body and just hang out in there. If we try to rush her, she gets irritable and fights us. It's so exhausting.

I want her to be showering daily before puberty starts but we are still struggling to get her into a routine that is compatible with days where she has activities. Sigh.

We do shower after dinner but before TV. If she dawdles there's no time for TV. I gave her a shower clock, which helps.

I think at 8 I was helping DD wash her long hair. She's 10 now and does it herself but I will check whether it's completely rinsed (or she gets back in to rinse) and I help her put in leave-in conditioner.

[Anonymous]

This is so weird. Our goal is to raise functioning adults. Adults take showers. What is so hard about taking a shower? It also just feels good and allows you to slow down a little even if you didn’t play a soccer game that day.

[Anonymous]

My kids like showers. They also wake pretty early. If we come home late, we'll often mention that they can take a quick shower tonight or take a longer one in the morning before we head out (even on school days, they are usually up at least an hour before we have to leave). One prefers to take a quick shower before bed. The other prefers to wait and take a longer shower in the morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is so weird. Our goal is to raise functioning adults. Adults take showers. What is so hard about taking a shower? It also just feels good and allows you to slow down a little even if you didn’t play a soccer game that day.

I mostly agree with you, but I have heard many parents say that they struggle to get their kids to shower, even after a soccer game! Some kids just don’t want to stop what they are doing to shower. My kids (11 and 14) shower daily without reminders, and it’s been like that since they were old enough to shower on their own. The last couple of times we stayed in a hotel, we got a second room for the extra bathroom because they argued so much about who was going to take the first shower. They aren’t really fastidious about other things, but they love their showers.

[Anonymous]

My 3 kids shower daily - even if we get home late. They don't get in their bed until they have showered. It helps that each has their own shower so no one is waiting for someone to finish showering, but I don't even have to tell them. They always shower and brush their teeth before going to bed - it's a routine. When traveling is the only exception as they are often sharing a bathroom, the oldest sometimes opt to shower in the morning and the others at night, etc.

[Anonymous]

Yes. I actually tied allowance to showers because he hates them so much. $2/shower. It's taken away a lot of the complaining.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Nightly. Early ES. At the min its a 2 min shower, a quick soap and arm pits and bottoms. We rewear PJs for a couole nights so they need to be clean getting into them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is so weird. Our goal is to raise functioning adults. Adults take showers. What is so hard about taking a shower? It also just feels good and allows you to slow down a little even if you didn’t play a soccer game that day.

Yes, adults take showers. But there are people who shower before bed and people who shower in the morning and (I'd argue sort of crazy) people who consistently do both. This seems to be about showering when they get home late. For my kids, getting home late is typically going to be either because of sports--in which case they need a shower no matter how late--or some type of weekend activity/event. In that case, unless they are actually dirty, no I don't require a shower before getting into bed. They can shower the next morning.

[Anonymous]

Gross sleeping in sheets having not showered . Some nasty asses