Turning Australian
Sometime around 3rd grade my brother went to the beach with his camp. His counselors forgot to put sunscreen on the pale little boy and he came home with a sunburn. Which turned into a 2nd degree burn, complete with blisters the size of egg yokes. I remember him laying propped up in bed in his darkened bedroom - barely moving from the pain - for nearly a week.
To say I'm a fanatic about sunscreen would be an understatement. And spending time by the water, while lovely, does raise my anxiety levels. So as the summer kicks in (at least in the northern hemisphere) please remember that there is an increased risk of skin cancer from over exposure to the sun. And premature wrinkles. And that sunburns HURT!
I'm almost done. There a public health campaign in Australia that my children can perfectly chant.
So, everyone now Slip-Slap-Slop:
Slip on a shirt.
Slap on a hat.
Slop on some sunscreen.
6 comments:
Mmmm. I am probably due for this reminder. I am vigilant about getting it slapped on the kids and also onto my husband's forehead, but I often forget myself. Usually just part of myself, like I will get my face protected but forget my shoulders, or I will do my shoulders but miss my chest.
I probably just need a Mom to follow me around reminding me to slip, slap, slop!
Yeah, I think that's what I need indeed.
Eeeps here is intense sunny california we are always slapping it on! Yet it only takes once to forget and get burned!
I just tend to avoid sunlight when ever possible. I believe I am so white now that I glow in the dark. But my kids. Sunscreen all the way.
I'm not really into sunscreen. I used to take care of two boys and we went on a trip to the beach last spring. They invited a friend along, who was a fair, red-headed kid. He had a tan, though, and was often in his pool at home. His parents gave me no special instructions. When we got to the beach, I slathered sunscreen on all three boys. We were only there about an hour, but this boy got very sunburned. Apparently his swimming had removed the sunscreen. (I have children with scandinavian skin, as I have myself. I have never used suncreen on them, but they are southern californians. And so was this boy.) ANYWAY, I didn't know he got burned. I talked with his mother the next day and she ripped me a new asshole. I advised her that I had put sunscreen on him, even though NO ONE had asked me to do so. And if he had more sensitive skin than that required, he should be old enough to know that. (He is thirteen.) She overreacted so harshly that I decided never to have her son over again, simply because she was CRAZY and what if something serious ever happened while he was in my care? What would she do then??
It is important to teach children to make sure they have it on, even when around adults who are not used to the routine. You seem to be doing a fun job of that! :)
Welcome back! I didn't realize you were back in the blogosphere. We hosted an exchange student from Northern Ireland when I was in high school through the Ulster Project (7 Catholic kids and 7 Protestant kids where matched with families of the same faith in an effort to build peace) and she got a horrible sunburn. All the Irish kids did, but hers blistered up like your brother's did.
Chris baked his foot in the sand.
It had sunscreen on it and was in the shade, yet it still got burnt. I have no idea how.
I'm starting to think about purchasing some large hats. I wore a $1 straw cowboy hat the entire time we were in Sanya, it looked ridiculous.
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