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Saturday, May 5, 2012

Shocking!

My kids are both very fair-skinned, and they are teased relentlessly. While it's very sad and hurtful, it's not surprising to me at all. I suffered through the same teasing as a child.

What does surprise me, is that my kids are teased because they wear sunscreen.

The first time my son told me that his classmates make fun of him, I was blown away. When my daughter piped up and admitted that she goes through the same thing all of the time, I was completely shocked.

According to the Center for Disease Control, "in 2007, 8,461 people in the United States died from melanomas of the skin." Despite these shocking statistics, protecting your skin is somehow "uncool."

Skipping the sunscreen is not an option, especially here in the Arizona desert, so I'm struggling with how to ease their pain. Has anyone else out there experienced anything similar to this? I'd appreciate any insight you may have!


8 comments:

  1. Summer is too bad for skin here in India.
    Have plenty of water and avoid open clothes. It's good to cover maximum baby parts.

    Happy to follow you :)

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  2. You're so right! Even here in Norway this is a huge problem. In our small town, a young man died last year, from skin cancer on top of his head, which had spread to his brain before he realized what was happening...
    Thanks for stopping by my blog, by the way, and keep up the sunscreen, hats etc. !

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  3. I live in Chile were the ozone layer doesn't exist. Being a fair-skinned foreigner I also have problems with sunburn. I used high factor cream on my face every day for three years (Vichy 50+ liquid milk visage) and got a skin complaint! What are these things made of? I would vote for a natural sun block, lots of water and the use of a cap at all times.

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  4. As to easing the pain of being teased, I think it's just something they'll have to get used to. If you complain to the school they would be treated worse and most probably ostracised by their peers. Tell them this pain is less than the physical pain of the sunburn:)

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  5. Samsita, lovely to have you aboard!
    Kristine, that is so sad to hear of the young man who died from skin cancer. I think I will use that story to illustrate to my kids how important it is to keep wearing sunscreen.
    Simon, I think you're right... complaining to the school will just make it worse and I like your idea that the pain of being teased is less painful than the sunburn!

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  6. Both of my girls are fair, especially my oldest. She is like snow white.
    When she starts talking about how pale she is, I show her pics of skin cancer then I show her beautiful pale skin, like Nicole Kidman.
    Luckily, since we homeschool, the kids miss a lot of the teasing. But even at church, the still get comments... :(

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    Replies
    1. Good point about showing the photos of skin cancer. That would bring home the point and show them how important it is to care for their skin.

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  7. Yes, protection from the sun is essential but some ingredients in sunscreen are actually carcinogenic and have lead to a significant increase of skin cancer. For tips on healthy sun protection visit Dr. Joseph Mercola's website -
    http://products.mercola.com/summer-survival-kit/

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