Being a parent requires an impressive level of multitasking, a great sense of humor and the ability to figure out what works for your family, regardless of what influencers and books are telling you. You’re not breaking any rules by allowing your kids to eat candy on a weeknight, and you’re not a bad parent if your little one goes to school in pajama pants one day.
But apparently, no matter what choices you make, the internet will be patiently waiting on the sidelines to judge you. One mom who recently learned this is TikToker Sharon.a.life. This mother of 6 shared a video detailing how she manages her household, and viewers couldn’t seem to get past one minor detail. Below, you’ll find the full video, as well as some of the replies viewers have shared.
This mom of 6 shared a video detailing the ways she manages her household to make her life easier
Image credits: @sharon.a.life
I'm a mother to six and here are just a few things we do in our home to make our life a little bit more manageable.
Tech time is only on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Image credits: oss_owl (not the actual photo)
Bath and shower days are Sunday and Wednesday
Image credits: Ika_kachka (not the actual photo)
Kids get allowance
Image credits: mawa_ts (not the actual photo)
No sleepovers
Image credits: kinderfotografin (not the actual photo)
Everybody has two chores
Image credits: puhimec (not the actual photo)
I pay my older kids to babysit
Image ceredits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
Why? Because it's not their job to take care of their siblings.
Every kid gets two extracurriculars
Image credits: drazenphoto (not the actual photo)
Image credits: timofeevavalentina_foto (not the actual photo)
We use a rotating dinner schedule, every two weeks
Image credits: wosunan (not the actual photo)
Free crafts are available pretty much any time of the day whenever you want
Image credits: Natalie Bond (not the actual photo)
But they have to stay in the craft area.
Last but not least, but most importantly, mom leaves the house every Tuesday night to take herself on a little date night
Image credits: Artem Podrez (not the actual photo)
You can watch Sharon's full video right here
Experts recommend that children shower at least twice a week
I remember fighting my parents to avoid taking showers when I was a child. Anything to do with hygiene felt like a massive inconvenience when I was 5 years old and only cared about playing games and drinking chocolate milk. And while I can’t imagine going a day without a hot, cleansing shower as an adult, it’s easy to forget that little kids actually don’t need to scrub a dub every single day.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, as long as your child isn’t stinky, covered in bug spray and hasn’t been in a body of water that day, it’s perfectly fine to skip taking a bath or shower. In fact, “for many kids, even just once or twice a week is fine,” they note. The Cleveland Clinic recommends considering the age of your kids before deciding on a shower schedule.
If they’re a baby, toddler or young child, bath time should probably occur two to three times a week. Kids between 6 to 11 should probably shower two to three times a week as well, but of course, if they’re sweating or playing sports, they might need to suds up even more often. Once kiddos hit the tween or teen age, it's probably best to shower daily. Going through puberty means more sweat and odors, and it’s best to keep those under control.
The children's bathing schedule ruffled many feathers online, but not all viewers were upset
Others, however, were appalled by the infrequent shower schedule
Image credits: cottonbro studio
Sharon later responded to some of the backlash her video received
Image credits: @sharon.a.life
Wow, people are very passionate about how often other people's children should be showering. I'm curious if your kids shower every single night, where do you live? Because we live in an incredibly dry climate and all of my kids have really sensitive skin. If they showered every single day, their skin would be so incredibly raw. And even lotioning, it's not good for their skin to be doing that every single day.
Image credits: @sharon.a.life
And just FYI, the American Dermatology whatever Association says one to three times a week is fine for kids. And I understand the routine if you live somewhere else, if your kids are playing sports every single day, but my kids are fine showering two to three days a week. Obviously, if they need it more than that, they get it more, like I said in that video, but please keep the comments kind and civil. Otherwise, I'll just block and delete you, but I really am curious how often you shower and include where you live, because I think that matters.
You can hear her first response here
Shower habits can also be dependent on where an individual lives and any health conditions they may have
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
After Sharon’s video about managing her household went viral, she spoke to the New York Post about how surprised she was that the internet cared so much about her little ones’ shower routine. “I just think it’s odd, quite frankly, that people care so deeply about other people’s bathing habits, especially a complete stranger on the internet,” she shared.
She also later shared on TikTok that her children have sensitive skin and that her family lives in a dry climate, so it can actually harm her kiddos’ skin to shower too often. According to Health.com, it may be wise for individuals with dry, sensitive skin to shower less frequently as “showering can strip moisture from their already dry skin.” Showering less during the winter may also help skin retain moisture.
Sharon also pointed out that she does not micromanage her children’s bath and shower schedule. “The older kids are preteens and teens and shower more frequently on their own. I’m not managing their showers, they are more than capable of taking care of their hygiene on their own,” she told the New York Post.
Sharon also addressed the fact that all families make different choices that work for them
Your personal bathing habits aren’t anyone else’s business
“Bathing habits are incredibly personal,” Sharon continued. “You never know how someone else’s body reacts to soaps, frequent water, their health issues, understand the climate they live in, or what their personal doctors are recommending to them.”
The mom explained that the Sunday/Wednesday schedule came about because her family attends church on Sundays, and Wednesday showers work out because they’re in the middle of the week. She reiterated that she’s not restricting her kids from bathing any other days, but those are the days they’re required to.
We would love to hear your thoughts on these controversial shower habits in the comments below, pandas. How often do you think children should be taking a bath or shower? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article discussing hygiene, look no further than right here!
Finally, the mother shared that she donated $1k of the money she earned from the original video
Image credits: @sharon.a.life