It's up to parents to step in deodorant in hand and show their children what to do. I lie and tell her that the dentist is going to call on the phone if she doesn't brush. If I let her, Chelsea would go six months without taking a shower. Her lack of cleanliness doesn't seem to bother her at all. Instead of resorting to embarrassing behavior at the bus stop, teaching good hygiene might mean, for example, showing your child how to use cleansing pads to clean oily skin or helping them choose and use some of the health and beauty products made especially for young teens.
Puberty can be a scary time for kids.
Teens who slack off in the hygiene department may be having trouble dealing with their bodily changes. Absolutely there can be an element of denial contributing to the problem. As much as they might feign disinterest or even ignore you while you're talking, research has shown that children like to hear stories from their parents' childhood, reminisces that tell them their parents went through the same physical changes, emotional turmoil and upheavals of puberty that they are experiencing. Dr. Gillooly spoke with young women who told her that they appreciated hearing stories of their mother's experiences. Although the girls might not have been interested at the time or even told their mothers they weren't listening, the information stuck with them.