I have just washed the face, hands and feet of a fourteen year old boy

I remember how relieved DH and I were when our cousin (who raised 7! Kids and now runs three care homes for deeply disturbed children) laughed about his own 14 year old who would look at the bathroom fittings with complete bewildered bafflement sufficient to convince any impartial onlooker that this child had never been cared for or shown how to wash. Every night!

In the army, new recruits are shown how to shower by an NCO who strips off, gets into the shower and demonstrates everything from ears to foreskin. Then no-one can claim "no-one showed me" and no-one is singled out.

Both my two went through a very grubby phase, as did my siblings. We're the first DGP's for two generations so we've no idea if scrubbing teenage GC Is part of the job description, but we'd have been grateful for support "yes we can tell you've not washed".." Etc.

I can once remember my mother scrubbing my youngest daughter's hands with a brillo pad they were that grubby (not really recommended!). 20 years on and she's still reminding her grandma that she would have been within her rights to ring childline.

I'm just astounded that he let you do it and that you even tried! You must have a very, very good relationship, overall, or he really wanted to be cleaner and doesn't know how!

Unfortunately, I doubt the results of your handiwork will last all that long, LOL!

Hope you don't tell him you posted about it, LOL!

Did you use a bit of spit and rub away with a hanky?

My husband baths our seven year old grandson when he stays with us. It involves singing 'the bucket of water' song and a large plastic jug. The poor little lad ends up half drowned. His sister and I were laughing as he spluttered away on one occasion. I wondered if it was time to stop so asked him if was ok. He couldn't actually speak but managed to nod that he wanted to carry on!
I bath my granddaughter and it is very gentle. I trim her nails, put nail varnish on and blow dry her hair.

I said to my 4 year old GS 'come on, wash your face before you get dressed' and he stared at me, puzzled, and said 'but I never wash my face in the morning'.

Funny, I was thinking the other day, GS never gets tide marks. My mother was very keen on not having a tide mark. Maybe the Clean Air Act is responsible.

Liz46 you are perpetuating sex role stereotypes brilliantly there!!

My grandmother, on many occasions, would spit on her hankie and try to scrub the 'dirty' mark off the bridge of my nose......it was freckles

My grandad used to check my neck when we went visiting and many times told me that he could grow potatoes on it. It has stayed with me all my life and even now, when I shower I rub my neck hard. Maybe off my parents it would have been ok, but not my grandad, he was supposed to be for fun.

Whenever my GD comes to visit, she has a 'stale' smell about her.....I have told my daughter to bath her every day as she does sweat a lot, but it seems to fall on deaf ears.
I can't understand why she would let my GD be like this. I want to cuddle her but then the smell kicks in and I find myself backing off a bit. I feel sorry for my GD as it is not her fault, but how do I get my daughter to understand???
{hmm}

How old is GD? Is she old enough for a deodorant? Pit rock is effective and no nasties.

(Square brackets needed for the emoticons. )

Liz, I'''m sorry but I don't think baths should make any kid sputter, boy or girl. Maybe you can talk to DH about this?

Deny, perhaps it's GD's clothes and not her body? Anyhow, would her mother/your DD be ok with it if you spritzed GD with some kind of light body spray? You could make it a "beauty" activity that you and she share, as you could put some on, too, so she wouldn't know you think she smells bad.

Or hey, would DD mind if you bathed GD yourself? Have you asked?