Parenthood is filled with ironic moments. Though the one that stands out the most for me (especially this time of year) is the unpleasant task of slathering my preschooler with sunscreen. The daily battle is akin to naked wrestling with a greased pig and usually ends with me wearing way more SPF than my little sun goddess.
The irony of this daily, drawn out war-by-the door is that I grew up in Hawaii during an age when most parents thought UVA and UVB rays were only emitted from Buck Rogers’ space age laser gun. When I was a tween I used to baste myself with baby oil and cook under the hot Hawaiian for hours at a time, and my mother didn’t bat an eyelash because she did the same as a teen.
These days I don’t even allow my daughter to walk to the mailbox without smearing her with thick gobs of sunscreen (in much the same way that a chef spreads mayonnaise on a foot-long hoagie), and requiring that she wear a hat and sunglasses. Shockingly, I do the same. Clearly, having a child cured my tanorexia.
Actually, the more I think about it, my preschooler has gotten used to the drill and while she still frowns when she sees me grab for the sunscreen sprayer, there are far fewer tears shed during the process. Her main complaint has always been that she doesn’t like to “feel slimy.” I can’t do anything to fix that, but over the years I have found ways to make the application process a bit more tolerable.
These days I purchase pump spray sunscreen and allow my daughter to get in on the “fun” by spraying her name and other whimsical designs on her skin and letting her massage over her entire body.
Making sunscreen application a routine also helps. If you place the sun block at the door and have your child wash his face, brush his teeth, brush his hair and apply sunscreen on a daily basis the repetition may help reduce the number of meltdowns. Your child may not love it, but at least he knows what’s coming.
Do you battle your preschooler to put on sunscreen?
Related Articles:
Surviving the Summer with a Preschooler
Is Your Preschooler Overscheduled?