Posted by Audra Baumgartner on May 28, 2014 · 3 Comments
Our son, Elliott, who just turned 12 this month, is by nature independent-minded, stubborn and argumentative (but cute!). Add to his natural tendencies the typical behavior of tweendom, and it was not surprising we ended up in the situation that led me to write this post.
This is a cautionary tale about boys, stubbornness, personal hygiene, failed parental nagging….and athlete’s foot.
Elliott has for months paid no attention to taking his shoes off when he gets home from school or comes in after playing. Since he’s often home a couple of hours before we return from work – and our first thought in the door is usually not “Dude, have you taken off your shoes yet??” – we frequently discover his shoes still on at bed time.
It doesn’t help that he has genetically sweaty/smelly feet (particularly noticeable as he nears puberty) – and is often out shooting hoops with friends or tearing through the neighborhood in search of spies – which all just adds to the wet, warm biome in his shoes. But we’ve given him ample reasons and months (years?) of coaching about the need to let both his feet and his shoes breathe, and yet he still doesn’t listen.
Sometimes you just have to let them fall, fail, learn for themselves. So when Elliott came to me last week to show me the scaly scabby area on the bottom of his foot – which I’ve since discovered is the “moccasin” variety of athlete’s foot – I made sure to connect the dots between his behaviors and this undesired outcome. The next day I came home to find his sneakers propped up in front of the lit fireplace, drying out! And now he is putting anti-fungal cream on the bottom of each foot (yes, it’s on both) two times a day – and was excused from gym class (which he loves).
So, if you have a tween boy who isn’t responding to your gentle prodding – or well deserved nagging – about personal hygiene, feel free to use this cautionary tale. And for added impact, here are some things about athlete’s foot I wish I had known earlier:
- Athlete’s foot does not just come with a rash…it itches, stings and burns!
- This fungal infection can spread to other parts of the body – including the hands and groin area
- It can be difficult to get rid of, especially if it spreads to the toenails
- Infection of the toenails can result in thickened, cracked nails – or they can fall out
- More severe infections may require prescription ointments and anti-fungal pills
- After you have had athlete’s foot once, you are more likely to get it again
