Parenting a Teen Who Wears Dirty Clothing

The teen years are an interesting time for parents. Parents may experience a mix of feelings as their children grow into pseudo adults who are making their way in the world with their own developing set of habits and beliefs. One such habit may be to wear clothes that could benefit from some washing. While dirty clothes are rarely a health hazard, some parents may prefer that a teen wear clean clothes. The following tips can help you experience more peace as you guide your teen toward socially accepted hygiene habits

  1. Relax and Trust

    • Although teens may struggle a bit with how to take care of themselves and their belongings in the way parents would, most find their way eventually. Allow yourself to take a deep breath and a sigh of relief with the assurance that your teen is continually learning about herself and she will figure out what works for her and her clothes. To help yourself trust the process, notice what you appreciate about her as a person aside from her clothing. Make a gratitude list for your teen and add to it daily. Notice what happens when you focus on appreciating your teen as is.

    Model Basic Self-Care

    • Children are always watching their parents so modeling how to care for your clothing in a relaxed manner may help. The American Psychological Association recommends balancing self-care with fun and relaxation to help teens learn how to deal with the stresses of life. If you spill something on your clothes and freak out, your teen may have even more reason to wear dirty clothes. Similarly, if you complain about laundry, she might not want to do it either. Allow laundry and clothing care to be a joyful routine by doing it regularly, relaxing when spills and stains happen and chatting with your teen as you fold laundry.

    Encourage Positive Self-Image

    • Sometimes teens don't care for themselves and their clothing because they have a negative self-image. Instead of grumbling about their clothes, it would be more beneficial to use descriptive praise when they are doing something well. For example, a simple statement that lets your teen know you noticed she chose to do her homework or play with her little brother can help her see what she does well. Also, ChildDevelopmentInfo.com suggests learning to laugh with yourself and teen. It's OK to do things differently than others, as long as no harm is done. Maybe this whole dirty clothes thing could be kind of funny in retrospect.

    Teach Laundry Skills

    • Jennifer Sullivan, who writes at metroparent.com, points out that soon your teen will be on her own and doing her own laundry will be a valuable skill to have. Show your teen how to do her laundry in simple steps. These would include when she takes off her clothes taking stuff out of pockets and putting clothes in a dirty laundry basket, taking the basket to the wash when it's full, putting the clothes in the washer on cold or warm, adding the appropriate amount of soap, starting the wash cycle, moving them to the dryer, taking them out when they are dry, folding them and putting them away.

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