EduNews Magazine EdUnews May/June 2014 | Page 25

kid” in an effort to encourage him to enjoy and continuously practise good personal hygiene. Let him pick his own soap, shampoo and roll-on brands and fragrances when shopping for groceries. Will he be okay? Boys go through puberty earlier nowadays and thus experience bodily changes at an earlier age. Boys are extremely active during the day when playing on the school grounds and as a result they sweat and discharge body odours. Boys as well as girls are educated about personal hygiene at school, but the primary focus of implementing good practices of personal hygiene still lies with the parents at home. Teach your child, as a principle, that the way we care for and maintain our bodies at home, is the way we do so elsewhere too, regardless of whether it is away on a school camp, at school itself or visiting Grandma and Grandpa for a summer holiday. Boys who feel good, look good and smell good have time to focus in class and on other activities, rather than hiding their embarrassing body odours. Practising good personal hygiene will most definitely help your son to be more confident around other people and can express themselves with pride. Can I allow him to be a piggy sometimes? Yes. Do not trap your son like a princess in a castle where they are only allowed tea from porcelain cups and playing house-house indoors. Your son wants to get out there and get dirty. Give him the opportunity to have some piggy time. An example would be if he and his friends played outside the whole day and want to come inside to watch a movie on a shakedown. Let them quickly jump into the pool to wash off all the sweat, dust and dirt before they come inside. It will make them believe that they are clean and it will assure you that the bedding will not be too dirty. As he gets older he will realise it is necessary to bath or shower every night and to use roll-on to be presentably fresh and clean. Good habits die hard. Good personal hygiene creates healthier, happier children.