My Kid Keeps Returning From His Dad’s With the Worst Smell
I co-parent my almost 10-year-old with his father. Some things I can control, some things I can’t. I don’t have control over his father’s house, or the way he keeps it. There are three indoor cats, and he’s not managing their bathroom habits well. Our son smells like cat urine when he leaves there. It clings to his bookbag, his hair, his clothes. I know things are being washed over there, because I can tell his clothes are laundered, but it still smells. His dad is getting new carpet put in next week, but overall doesn’t seem to acknowledge the issue. He’s either nose blind to the smell, or too prideful to admit that he’s unsure of what to do when confronted (even by a current friend/partner).
His dad joked about having a nickname in high school for the way he smelled. I don’t want that for my child. I don’t know if, for the sake of co-parenting peace, I should send two-to-three ziplocked bags of clothes with our son so he can change in the mornings? If I do that, I’m unsure of how to explain it without being derogatory towards his father. Do you have any suggestions?
—This Stinks (But My Kid Shouldn’t)
https://slate.com/advice/2024/09/worst-smell-dads-care-and-feeding.html
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