I thought there was no way the shoes in our front closet could smell so rank, and I was right. After digging down a layer I found an old lunch of Zack’s — a chicken enchilada in a glass bowl with a note asking the teacher to please heat it up for him. I “sent” this to school with him two months ago! Ewwwwwwwwww.
Odd smells are not a new thing in our house. They have been a frequent assault to my senses since our eldest was about nine years old. No one ever told me a nine year old boy’s feet would smell like that! I grew up with one sister, and that smell wasn’t even in a remote realm of possibility for us.
A well-used soccer ball on Taylor’s head may have attracted our dog, Lily, but it also smelled awful!
It took a few years before our athletic grade schooler independently grasped the need for a daily shower. Then he started using Old Spice and he’s smelled wonderful ever since.
On the other hand, Zack’s smell varies throughout the day. Without great detail, let’s just say there are times when nothing short of a shower with high pressure water flow and lots of soap will make things better. We have arrived late to many an event because something happened at the last minute before leaving home to make this necessary.
Zack loves to apply Old Spice daily.
I expect that many parents of kids with special needs understand this challenge, though it applies to parents of all children. Every one of us tries to maintain control over the scent of our child for the sake of the world around us, our own olfactory systems, and social acceptability. It really does matter to us that our children smell good. It just isn’t always within our control.
Now Zack also wears Old Spice, but odors around the house have remained a conundrum. What can I do to make our home smell pleasant and inviting?
Recently I found a solution: essential oils! My sister-in-law gave me a diffuser for Christmas and shortly after that I bought the whole starter kit from Young Living, a company that sells high-quality, organically grown essential oils.
The Young Living Essential Oils Starter Kit
Where the magic of wonderful smells happens – the diffuser.
Essential oils claim to have all sorts of healing properties. So far I’ve been diffusing the ones that promote sleep in Zack’s room at night and he is sleeping more soundly without his middle-of-the-night wakings.
But honestly, what I love most of all is the way essential oils make my house smell. I absolutely love love love the smells of the different oils. Sigh…. If you want your house to smell wonderful, too, email me at jetzgriffin@gmail.com.