183
The days are long gone when it was your parent’s job to give you a bath. You are growing up and your body is changing. That may mean that, if you aren’t careful, people will start noticing your body odor. If you’ve already detected this problem in your friends, it’s probably time for you to pay more attention to your own personal hygiene. It’s time to stop griping about having to take a shower.
If you want people to be able to stand being around you, you are going to have to take a shower every day—maybe even more often if you play a lot of sports and get really sweaty. You probably should go ahead and wash your hair every time you take a shower, and you may need to start wearing deodorant. What’s more, you can’t even think about wearing the same shirt or jeans three days in a row.
YOU DO
Take a shower as soon as you can if you have been sweating.
YOU DON’T
Assume, just because you took a shower in the morning, that you don’t have to wash up after a good basketball game.
Why
If you’ve been sweating, you probably smell bad.
YOU DO
Know that it is Okay to pay attention to your personal hygiene.
YOU DON’T
Want to be known as a slob.
Why
People notice how you look, and dirty hair and dirty clothes don’t make a good impression. You may think you don’t care if people think you are a slob, but it won’t be long before you realize that you want to impress the people at the school you want to attend or the boss you want to work for.
YOU DO
Find a shampoo, a soap, and a deodorant that you like.
YOU DON’T
Be afraid to ask your mom or your dad to let you have your own stuff—especially if you don’t like theirs.
Why
Your parents know that you are more likely to stay clean if you can use products that you like. They probably won’t mind letting you have your own bath and shower supplies.
186
A gentleman knows that he can wear a baseball cap only so often. He washes his hair and gets it cut so that he is not ashamed to be seen without his cap.
When a gentleman thinks he can smell his own body odor, he knows that other people can smell it, too. That is when he starts using deodorant regularly.
A gentleman puts on a clean shirt instead of smelling the armpits of a shirt to see if he can wear it again.
A gentleman brushes his teeth regularly and uses mouthwash or breath mints if he thinks he even might have bad breath.