Soap And Water People, Soap And Water

There are things in life that I will never be able to understand. The internet is one of them. Don't get me wrong, I get the whole 'surfing the web' thing, I just have a tough time with the vastness of it all. And then there's the whole 'how is it people can be so lazy in raising their children' thing. Granted there is no guide book to parenting, but some things should be a given.

Things like, oh I don't know, hygiene for instance. Soap and water don't cost much, so the whole poverty thing is a shit excuse. No, I'm serious. Of course I know that lack of hygiene transcends socioeconomic class. Bathing isn't complicated, and really, if you start when your kids are young enough, they have no issues comprehending the whole soap up and rinse off routine. Well, except maybe between the ages of 11 and 13, but you just have to be smarter than them and know they only ran the water and never actually stepped in. That brief time period aside, good habits are fairly easy to instill, so why are so many parents failing this???

There is a distinct difference between a child who has been outside playing all day and smells a tad sweaty and a kid that hasn't bathed in a week or more and stinks of filth. Granted, the parents of these unfortunate children aren't usually examples of cleanliness, but one would think at some point in their lives someone called their lack of freshness to their attention. Why would anyone damn their children to being teased, ridiculed, or given a wide berth on the playground?

Maybe it's just me, I don't know. I just took my role as a parent to include instilling skin care and personal hygiene in my sons. They might dress odd, act ridiculous, and make poor choices from time to time, but they take cleanliness seriously.

I feel sad for the kids who sit in my chair for a haircut and it's obvious this type of neglect is happening in their life. It is difficult for me to fend off the irritation I feel toward the parent(s) as I avoid inhaling too frequently throughout the haircut. Something as simple as regular showering is the very least any parent can teach their children, and it instills a healthy amount of pride. I just don't get why lack of self-care skills are so prevalent.

Truthfully, I am aware there are instances when this issue is just a symptom of a much bigger, more unfortunate issue. Abuse, neglect, and a host of other problems like drug and alcohol use by the parent are far too frequently the underlying issue, and something like cleanliness just doesn't seem like a big deal in light of those things.

I suppose my hope is that at some point unkempt, filth-coated children will only be the result of a full day of actively playing outside in the dirt, climbing trees, or building things. No child should ever know neglect, including lack of hygiene.