He Forgot To Give His Nephew A Shower So This Is What His Brother Did

A man refuses to continue to let his brother see his son after he takes a road trip with his uncle

As parents, we want the best for our children and sometimes that includes setting boundaries with family members. A father, who we will call “Terry” recently faced a dilemma after his son returned from a road trip with his uncle, who failed to maintain basic hygiene practices. Terry questioned whether he was justified in restricting his brother’s access to his son.

Spring Break Trip

“My 9yo son Cameron spend his spring break on a road trip with my brother Jackson. My son came back home today and all the clothes that I packed for him were untouched. He was wearing today what he was wearing on Monday.”

Son Hasn’t Showered

Terry discovered that his son had not showered for four days while on the road trip with his uncle. When confronted, the uncle brushed it off and said that his son did brush his teeth and wash his feet. Terry, however, saw this as a breach of trust and decided to restrict his brother’s access to his son unless he or his wife was present.

Brother Thinks Terry Is Overreacting

Terry’s brother believed that he was overreacting and should let his son just “be a boy.”

The Debate

Terry’s situation sparked a debate on social media about whether restricting his brother’s access to his son was an overreaction. Some believed that not showering for a few days was not a big deal.

Worse Things Than Not Showering

“There are worse things than a 9-year-old not showering for a few days, I think. Does your brother have children of his own? How old is your brother? He might need a bit more instructions on the do’s and don’t’s of traveling with a 9-year-old, including making sure that they shower regularly and wear clean clothes.”

He May Have Simply Forgotten

Others shared their own experiences of not showering daily and believed that the uncle may have simply forgotten to remind the child to shower:

“I mean I didn’t start showering daily until I was 12. My cousins are 10 and 11 and don’t have BO yet, they stay for the weekend and sometimes I forget to remind them to wash, and they don’t suggest washing because… well, they’re 10 and 11. I don’t have kids so it’s not something I regularly think about, I can understand why the uncle wouldn’t, even if 4 days is kinda pushing it.”

Others Say Personal Hygiene Is Essential

However, some users argued that personal hygiene is essential and that the uncle should have prioritized his nephew’s well-being:

“I’m so confused but these comments. Like y’all are comfortable and justifying that a child hasn’t taken a shower for days is okay. That’s concerning and he was in the care of his uncle. The uncle should’ve made sure he was taking care of his nephew hygiene. To say he’s just being a boy, is feeding him the wrong thing and breeds the behavior of having poor hygiene is good.”