I didn't say a word.

My son spent hours in the shower, setting off the smoke alarms with all the steam and propellants from his Lynx deodorant, he used a can every week and he was only 12!

I couldn’t understand why my teenage son took so long in the shower, years later he told me he used to run the shower, lean against the wall and go to sleep ?

My father used to call me 'Crocketts the Dry Cleaners'! Flannel just as dry when I came out of the bathroom as when I went it. Then in my very early teens I stayed over with a school friend and I was stunned at how thoroughly she washed. A revelation. Turned my ablutions through 180 degrees!

When I was a child in the 1920s and 30s although we lived in a new modern house we only had a bath and hair wash once a week with bar soap. Hair was dried in front of the one coal fire. Underclothes were changed once a week and outer garments less frequently.
When I was in the WAAF during the war I was in a private billet with a wash basin and jug of cold water. Had to break the ice to wash. I then had to cycle three miles to headquarters in order to get something to eat.
When starting caravanning in the 1950s sites only had toilets or Elsan disposal points.
I well remember when all the toiletries first came on to the market.
For the sake of the environment I have now gone back to bar soap but couldn’t do without my daily shower and frequent clothes wash.

I've had the kids here this week and I really nag about tooth brushing and hair combing. Showering is suggested but remains optional as a couple of days being dirty won't do them any harm.

Oh Jilly, I remember my son being the same, I could hide money under the soap.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I used to make my son go straight into the shower after football when he was about 10. All he did was sit in the shower tray with the water running, and warm up -there certainly wasn't any soap involved. When he came out he still had dirty knees so he had to go back in to wash.

I can't imagine a teen carving up some furniture and nothing being said.

This thread takes me back to the early 1960s when I was at boarding school in Somerset. We we expected to strip wash in cold water each morning (there were large metal pitchers and bowls in our dorms, all arranged around a large set of washstands). Even in the winter when there was ice on the inside of the dorm windows, we had to take turns to fetch the cold water and wash from 'neck to knickers' under the watchful eye of our dorm senior! Baths were once per week - that changed to twice when our elderly headmistress retired and a new one was appointed. Hair washing was once every THREE weeks - how I remember sneaking into the bathrooms after lights out and washing my hair in freezing water then going to bed with it wet...several times per week if I could get away with it! Showers weren't heard of in those days. Somehow we endured it all and I'm still here to tell the tale! Just about! I tell my grandchildren about it and they are all goggle-eyed with horror! Hot water on demand and shelves full of'products' are their norm! We used to manage with a bar of Pears soap (I still love it) and sachets of shampoo - my favourite was Breck Beer Shampoo as it smelt lovely and made my chestnut locks shine! I think the only product we got anywhere near was hairspray - and then only if someone's mother had been crafty and sneaked a can in when sending clothes - parcels had to be opened in front of the housemistress - but she didn't make us shake out the clothes and our mothers became skilled at secreting all manner of goodies up inside the sleeves! Sorry, I've gone 'off piste' a bit here - must be my age!

Had a lovely kitchen table, pride and joy type thing. One twin son, about 13 years old "engraved" his own name on the surface obviously thinking we would say it must have been done by his brother as who would use their own name. Knew who the culprit was and didn't mention it. Only after about 20 years did it come up in a conversation that the guilty party was known to be X son. He was flabbergasted, how did we know? He is 45 and a parent and now knows very well how we knew!

Quizqueen. Daily baths for children, my goodness! How previous generations survived with the Sunday night bath and hairwash and wearing clothes for a week we will never know. Of course dirt can be harmful but there are a lot of experts who would say we are washing too much and too often stripping our skin of good bacteria etc. Not to mention all the chemicals, water and energy for warm water used. Obviously there are those of use who have not been brought up in the proper way.

I remember my daughter going off for a few days with school and coming back with a bone dry flannel. So many more exiting things to do at that age!

He was more worried about how his hair looked, bless him ?

My 7 year old grandson usually stays with us in school holidays and enjoys coming with us in our caravan. Last year we went to a caravan site where you had to put 20p coins in a slot to get hot water for your shower and, not having many of the required coins at the time I told him he had to be quick or he’d run out of water and Grandad and I needed the remaining coins for our showers. He used to love spending ages under the hot water, however he managed to cope. This week (half term) we were at home and in the time it took me to go to his bedroom to fetch his pyjamas he’d got undressed and showered and dried himself. When I queried how he’d managed to get clean in such a short time he replied “You’re to blame, Grandma, I now like to see just how quickly I can be!” Not sure how clean he was - could still see the evidence of ketchup on the side of his mouth!

When my children were teenagers we used to have French students exchanges. One boy, Bertrand, would not bath. I used to say there is plenty of nice hot water to no effect. We called him dirty Bertie. The last day of his two week stay we had a party for the other students and he actually had a bath.

When she first stayed here, a late-teen niece didn’t seem to realise that the shower curtain goes inside the bath, not outside. I dare say she was used to screens or walk in cubicles, but it didn’t dawn on me at first why the guest bathroom floor was awash!
I said nothing, didn’t want to make her feel stupid, and she did soon work it out.

I always used to smile at this sort of revelation when my sons were teenagers, because I had the opposite problem with them. With both of them it was getting them out of the bath/shower that was the difficulty, they never needed to be reminded to brush their teeth and I never had to get them out of bed in the mornings. I just used to keep quiet when their friends' parents were complaining, but now I could easily join in such conversations with tales of my ten year old grandson. Why can't he just brush his teeth without it becoming a three act drama!?!

This brought back a memory of me drawing my teenage son a map of how to get from his bedroom to the bathroom, complete with instructions on how to operate the taps etc. A year or so after that he'd joined the ranks of older teens spending hours in there titivating himself up and with more sweet smelling products lined up on the window cill than anyone else in the house!

If children are brought up to have daily baths then it should be second nature for them to be clean. There's nothing funny or clever about dirty people or kids.

My 12 year old grandson has just really discovered soap and water....while my 8 year old granddaughter would rather have her teeth pulled out than wash...and loathes having her hair brushed and tidied for school.

The first time my nephew went to camp with the cubs (for 4 days ) he returned with his new towel & soap, his clean underpants, his toothbrush & toothpaste and all changes of clothes completely untouched...

Loved that V3ra‼️ My first chuckle of the day.

So funny,that takes me back

What happened to the " tidemarks " that you used to see on kids at school----which you don't see today ? I remember them vividly.