How do I tell my adult child about their b o and bad breath?

1. danilhastings Says:
   September 29th, 2007 at 2:54 pm

   tell her the worst thing you can do is not tell her people wont want to be smelling bad smells it will be embarising but she will be better off

2. barbnefer Says:
   October 1st, 2007 at 10:47 pm

   This calls for a direct, but very careful approach. Instead of implying that she is dirty or is doing something wrong, you must take a neutral approach and stick to the problem itself. For example, you might say, “I’ve noticed that I can smell body odor when I am standing close to you (fact, not accusation). I didn’t know if you were aware of it; I hope you’re not upset that I brought it up (defuse potential anger), but I thought that you would want to know.”

   If she starts to get angry, back off immediately. Don’t get drawn into a fight or get upset. Simply say, “I am sorry. I can see that you don’t want to discuss this topic, so I will not mention it again.”

   Good luck! Hopefully she will appreciate knowing about the problem; she may not be aware of it. And if she doesn’t want to talk about it, at least you know that you tried to help her in a non-threatening way.

   Dr. Barb Nefer,

3. home schooling mother Says:
   October 3rd, 2007 at 3:02 am

   I’m pretty straight forward, I guess. I hand them Lysterine Breath Strips and tell them to keep the package, they need it. Or ask them if they have a favorite fragrance in deodorant. Tell them their unscented just isn’t doing the trick.

   When things are really bad, I mention it. Feet? Arm pitties? Breath? Other stuff. Yup. They’re still my kids.

   Pssst. This includes overdoses of aftershave, cologne, perfume, and deodorant, too. Pfheee-ew!!!

4. Scorp Says:
   October 5th, 2007 at 4:15 am

   Oh yes this is such a difficult situation. Its relatively easier then mine cos I had to convey this to one of the office colleagues. Damn that was so difficult but the unbearable body odour made me do it somehow at the cost of being scolded and slapped….lol but finally it went smooth and we became good friends….

   Now to the question…yes try to hint in about trying some of the deodorant products and may be buy some for her..give her a nice perfume…. and offer her mints and take one yrself. I am sure she would understand soon….Good luck

5. Wolfsburgh Says:
   October 6th, 2007 at 12:19 am

   mary,

   You know your child better than anyone else. Knowing what sets her off is your key to letting her know anything.

   If she needs to be handled with kid gloves, put them on. If she appreciates the direct approach, let it fly.

   It’s something that needs to be discussed, though. Perhaps she doesn’t know about her little problem. You’re being a good mom…she should be happy to have a mom like you.

6. smash_dp Says:
   October 8th, 2007 at 11:58 pm

   Be straight foward and just tell her. I mean, I’d rather be told that by my mother, than a stranger or someone else. You know what they say: Mother knows best!

7. kurtmohr Says:
   October 11th, 2007 at 1:50 pm

   i am a soical worker and tell people almost every day they stink or need a bath. here is how i do it but everybody is differnt you find to find your own way. I say

   —— i care about you so i am going to tell you something that lots of people wouldnt tell you becasue they are embarassed to tell you. i dont know how to say this but you stink, you need a bath. Most adult i know take a bath every day and you need to do the same. ok, then i smile and pat them on the arm and say “enough on that subject but do take care of it before I see you next time. usually it never comes up again, sometimes they want to argure and say they don’t stink and i just laugh and say you can do what you want becasue your an adult but my nose dosen’t lie to me. keep the conversation light and good luck ther is no way to beat around the bush, be a careing person and help them address thier most glaring problem.

8. jaky_speaks Says:
   October 14th, 2007 at 7:48 pm

   Another option:
   “Can your friends smell your BO and Bad breath? or is it just me?” lol. sounds harsh, but done in the wright context it could be an icebreaker. It might lead her to ask her friends too, they can have a bigger impact sometimes on her personal habits than anything a parent can “suggest”. good luck

9. koya304 Says:
   October 17th, 2007 at 5:24 am

   give her a nice basket with some smellygood bath stuff with deoterant and perfume.

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